SCOTLAND

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff employed by his Department were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Mundell: All staff working within the Scotland Office are paid at a rate above the London living wage.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on his Department's annual expenditure.

David Mundell: Following the spending review settlement for the Scotland Office, detailed plans, on which such estimates would be based, are being developed and finalised. The increase in the standard rate of value added tax is only one of many factors which is being taken into account. Therefore, we are not in a position to say what effect that one factor will have on our annual expenditure.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of UK carbon dioxide emissions in each year from 1980 to 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC published estimates of UK greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, as National Statistics on 2 February 2010. These can be found on the DECC website at the following link.
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/climate_change/gg_emissions/ukemissions/2008 final/2008 final.aspx
	The following table shows estimated UK carbon dioxide emissions for each year from 1980 to 2009 inclusive. Note that the 2009 estimates are provisional. We do not currently have estimates of carbon dioxide emissions for 2010.
	
		
			  UK carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, 1980 to 2009 
			   CO 2  emissions (Mt) 
			 1980 608.5 
			 1981 583.7 
			 1982 575.0 
			 1983 568.5 
			 1984 552.2 
			 1985 571.7 
			 1986 585.1 
			 1987 591.2 
			 1988 591.6 
			 1989 580.8 
			 1990 592.8 
			 1991 600.2 
			 1992 582.9 
			 1993 567.9 
			 1994 561.8 
			 1995 553.1 
			 1996 575.3 
			 1997 551.5 
			 1998 553.6 
			 1999 543.1 
			 2000 551.2 
			 2001 562.6 
			 2002 545.0 
			 2003 556.7 
			 2004 556.3 
			 2005 553.9 
			 2006 551.4 
			 2007 543.6 
			 2008 532.8 
			 2009 (1)480.9 
			 (1) Provisional  
		
	
	Additional data on UK carbon dioxide emissions can be found at the following link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/climate_change/data/data.aspx

Domestic Properties: Heating

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of domestic properties which are heated by  (a) air source and  (b) ground source heat pumps.

Gregory Barker: According to recent industry figures, the estimate of heat pumps installed in domestic properties in each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Heat pumps  2008  2009  2010 
			 Ground 2,856 1,626 1,465 
			 Air source 2,700 5,850 7,605 
			 Exhaust 1,300 4,350 5,873 
			 Total residential 6,856 11,826 14,943

Energy Supply: Security

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the security of the UK's energy supplies; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department published the Statutory Security of Supply report early this year, at the beginning of November, in order to give timely and credible information to the market ahead of the winter.
	The Energy Bill, introduced to the House of Lords on 8 December, includes measures to reduce the likelihood, duration and severity of a gas supply emergency. These measures would give Ofgem new powers to strengthen the commercial incentives on gas market participants to meet their contractual supply obligations during a gas supply emergency. In turn this should sharpen incentives to avoid a gas supply emergency and help underpin commercial demand for additional gas supply infrastructure, including storage facilities.
	The Bill also consolidates and improves the current legislation on third party access to upstream oil and gas infrastructure. This will help the exploitation of smaller and more difficult oil and gas fields, and assist in making the most of our natural resources.
	The Government are implementing the EU Security of Gas Supply Regulation in order to help improve EU security of supply, with knock on benefits for the UK.
	The Government are undertaking the Electricity Market Reform Project to design and deliver a new market framework that will allow for efficient, cost-effective, large scale investment in low carbon energy and protect UK security of supply. The Project will issue a consultation shortly.
	The draft National Policy Statements (NPS), published on 18 October for consultation, provide a clear platform for energy companies to bring forward planning applications within fixed timeframes, to avoid the delays which have been such a problem in the past.
	Improving energy efficiency is part of improving our energy security. The Green Deal (announced as part of the Energy Bill) will provide household and business energy efficiency improvements at no up-front cost, with consumers repaying through the savings they make on their energy bills.

Green Deal

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likely effect of over- or under-estimating household energy use before improvements under the Green Deal on the level of fuel bills once such improvements have been made.

Gregory Barker: DECC continues to publish research on how 'real life' energy savings compare with estimated ones, covering areas such as cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and condensing boiler efficiency:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/saving_energy/analysis/analysis.aspx
	Quantitative research is currently being carried out to examine the before and after gas consumption in relation to a variety of property types that have had cavities filled and lofts insulated during recent years, and how these compare to control groups. Findings from this research will be published next year.
	We are reviewing how best to design the assessment at the beginning of the Green Deal to enable the savings estimates to be as accurate as possible.

Hydraulic Fracturing

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the use of hydraulic fracturing by the oil and gas industry; and what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on regulation of the use of hydraulic fracturing.

Gregory Barker: Hydraulic fracturing has long been used to increase the productivity of oil and gas fields and, more recently, of shale gas reservoirs, where the rock has low natural permeability. The Department has no objection to the use of this technique so long as all of the relevant environmental and planning assessments have been carried out and permissions granted. I have had no discussions with my EU counterparts on the regulation of the use of hydraulic fracturing.

Insulation: Housing

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes received loft insulation at no cost to the homeowner in each year since 2005.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows the number of loft insulations installed under the warm front since 2005:
	
		
			   Loft insulation 
			 2005-06 55,755 
			 2006-07 60,907 
			 2007-08 58,580 
			 2008-09 57,104 
			 2009-10 39,764 
			 2010-11(1) 11,688 
			 Total 283,798 
			 (1) Up to 30 November 2010. 
		
	
	Under Energy Supplier obligations, suppliers have generally provided 100% subsidy to the most vulnerable households. The exact number of installations in these households is only currently reported at the end of the scheme. Just under 1.8 million vulnerable 'Priority Group' households received professional loft insulation between April 2005 and March 2008 under the Energy Efficiency commitment. Between April 2008 and September 2010, approximately 1.75 million households have received loft insulation under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT). 40% of carbon savings under CERT must be achieved in vulnerable 'Priority Group' households.

Insulation: Housing

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that poorly-insulated private rented housing is insulated to an appropriate standard prior to improvements scheduled for after 2016.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal will offer a range of innovative finance packages allowing landlords to install energy efficiency measures in their rental properties at no upfront cost to themselves.
	However, we are also seeking powers in the Energy Bill that would require landlords to make reasonable energy efficiency improvements to poorly-insulated properties from 2015.
	These powers will only be used if we do not see voluntary improvement under the forthcoming Green Deal.

Nuclear Power

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty with respect to peaceful uses of nuclear energy; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department played a key role in the deliberations on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the lead up to, and during, the Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) held earlier this year. Ensuring that the Treaty continues to be effective, set against the growing worldwide interest in nuclear energy and other developments, was a central objective of these discussions, and was reflected in the agreed outcome document, to which all parties are bound. Since the Review Conference my Department has taken part in cross-Whitehall work to guide and influence future direction of the 'peaceful uses' pillar of the NPT.

Offshore Industry: Renewable energy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of attracting private sector funding for offshore renewable energy projects.

Gregory Barker: The Government will publish a consultation document on electricity market reform this month, followed by a White Paper in spring 2011. One of the key objectives of the EMR project is to ensure we have the right framework to attract investment into low carbon infrastructure so we can achieve our energy goals. This means ensuring sufficient returns, at manageable cost to the consumer, to stimulate the necessary investment into low carbon technologies, including offshore renewables.
	Following the allocation of £l billion of new funding for the establishment of a Green Investment Bank announced in the spending review, Government are currently considering various options as to the purpose and structure of the bank. As part of the next phase of work we are considering how the GIB could tackle risks that the market currently cannot adequately finance, and how to facilitate the entrance of new types of investors into green infrastructure in order to reduce the financing gap. This work will include consideration of offshore wind.
	Further, following our commitment to allocate up to £60 million for offshore wind infrastructure at port locations, Siemens, GE and Gamesa announced their intentions to establish manufacturing plants at coastal locations in the UK, with Gamesa also announcing that they will be opening an R and D facility and their global headquarters in London.

Oil

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for meeting the Government's strategic oil stocking obligations under International Energy Agency and EU rules;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of decreases in the level of North Sea oil production on the fulfilment of the Government's strategic oil stocking obligations under International Energy Agency and EU rules;
	(3)  what information he holds for benchmarking purposes on the EU member states which have an independent oil-stocking agency under International Energy Agency and EU rules; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department had with representatives of the oil industry since May 2010 on possible changes to the system for meeting the Government's strategic oil stocking obligations;
	(5)  whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives of the oil industry since May 2010 on the establishment of an independent oil-stocking agency in the UK under International Energy Agency and EU rules; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The UK has international obligations to hold emergency oil stocks for use in global oil supply disruptions that it meets by directing industry to hold stocks under powers in the 1976 Energy Act.
	Currently, the UK is fully compliant with its international obligations, holding 13.6 million tonnes (MT) in September (the latest month for which data are available) against an EU obligation of 10.4 MT and an IEA obligation of 1.6 MT. Declining UK crude oil production will lead to an increase in the overall UK stockholding obligation. While there is uncertainty over the precise timing, the latest forecasts suggest that there will not be a net-increase in the overall UK obligation until around 2018.
	We have set-up up a joint project with industry stakeholders to review the current policy and explore alternative options including the possibility of oil stockholding agency models. Via the IEA, the UK has access to information on different agency models adopted by EU and IEA countries.
	Since May 2010, DECC Ministers have met with representatives from the downstream oil industry on a number of occasions; these discussions have ranged widely but have included oil stocking policy. There have been a number of meetings between officials and industry that have focused on oil stocking policy.

Renewable Energy: Social Rented Housing

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of social housing units have solar panels.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold information on the number of social housing buildings that have installed solar photovoltaic panels.

Renewable Heat Incentive

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take to introduce the Renewable Heat Incentive from 2011-12 onwards.

Gregory Barker: We expect to be in a position to announce the details of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme shortly and to be open for business in 2011.

Rocky Mountain Institute

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what matters were discussed in his recent meeting with Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute; and whether Mr Lovins made documentation available to him and his officials.

Gregory Barker: I hosted a meeting with Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute on the morning of 22 November. He discussed a range of issues on energy and energy efficiency; topics covered included the role of distributed energy and potential for energy efficiency.
	Mr Lovins provided me with a number of his publicly available, published works on the above topics.

Solar Power: Construction

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many new residential properties had solar panels included in their construction in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold information on the overall number of new build residential properties with solar panels. These works are carried out by private contractors who have no obligation to inform the Government.
	Under previous Government grant programmes-Major Demonstration Photovoltaic and Low Carbon Buildings programmes during 2005-09-the following numbers of solar photovoltaic panels projects for new build residential properties were supported.
	
		
			  Number of p rojects 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Major PV Demonstration programme 38 37 34 0 0 109 
			 Low Carbon Buildings programme 0 0 1 24 42 67 
			 TOTAL 38 37 35 24 42 176 
		
	
	
		
			  Value of projects 
			  £ 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Major PV Demonstration programme 294,062 288,350 226,277 0 0 808,689 
			 Low Carbon Buildings programme 0 0 2,500 5,640 101,500 109,640 
			 Total 294,062 288,350 228,777 5,640 101,500 918,329

Warm Front Grants

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for warm front grants are outstanding; and how long on average it took from application for a grant to installation of equipment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: As of 3 December, there were 18,990 outstanding applications to warm front. In 2009-10, the average waiting time for an insulation measure was 48.6 working days and for a heating measure it was 75.5 working days.

Wind Power: Construction

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many new non-residential properties had wind turbines included in their construction in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold information on the overall number of new non residential properties which installed wind turbines.
	Under the previous "Low Carbon Buildings Programme" (2006-10), the following grants were made for micro and small wind turbines installed on new build non residential properties:
	
		
			   Value of  g rants paid  ( £ )  Number of  g rants paid 
			 2007 8,284 1 
			 2008 42,817 3 
			 2009 171,927 12 
			 2010 173,147 8 
			 Total 396,175 24

Winter Fuel Payments

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of recipients of winter fuel payments who are fuel-poor.

Gregory Barker: In 2008 around 22% of households containing someone eligible (i.e. aged 60 and over) for a winter fuel payment in England were classified as being in fuel poverty.

HEALTH

Cancer: Drugs

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria will be used to assess appropriateness of proposals to fund a treatment from the Cancer Drugs Fund; and whether an advisory board will be established to determine those criteria.

Simon Burns: We have published for consultation our proposals for arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund which will operate from April 2011 in "The Cancer Drugs Fund: A Consultation". We want health professionals, patients, carers industry and the public to give us their comments on these proposals which can be accessed at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_120834
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Complementary Medicine: Regulation

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale of 6 December 2010,  Official Report, column 78-9W, on complementary medicine: regulation, when he expects to make an announcement on a statutory register for herbal medicine practitioners.

Anne Milton: Once the Government, together with the devolved Administrations, reaches a decision on how best to take this work forward we will make an announcement.

Diabetes: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Leicester East constituency were diagnosed with diabetes in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: The national quality and outcomes framework (QOF) records the number of people, aged 17 or over, recorded on practice disease registers with a diagnosis of diabetes. The register is not a count of patients newly diagnosed with the disease within each year but rather a count of patients with the disease on a specific day within the year. This register count is available for the releases of QOF covering financial years 2005-06 through to 2009-10.
	QOF information is collated by primary care trust (PCT). Information for 2006-07 to 2009-10 has been provided for Leicester City PCT, which covers the Leicester East constituency. Information for 2005-06 is provided for Eastern Leicester and Leicester City West PCTs, which merged to form Leicester City PCT in October 2006.
	The number of patients aged 17 or over with diabetes from the registers are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Leicester City PCT 
			  Financial year  Number of patients 
			 2009-10 18,998 
			 2008-09 17,959 
			 2007-08 17,152 
			 2006-07 16,507 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2 :  Eastern Leicester and Leicester City West PCTs combined 
			  2005-06 f inancial year  Number of patients 
			 Eastern Leicester PCT 10,462 
			 Leicester City West PCT 5,757 
			 Combined total 16,219 
			  Notes: 1. Diabetes register-This will include patients aged 17 years and over with diabetes mellitus. (As the care of children with diabetes mellitus is generally under the control of specialists, the register should exclude those patients age 16 and under). 2. QOF-the national Quality and Outcomes Framework, introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract on 1 April 2004. 3. Participation by practices in the QOF is voluntary, though participation rates are very high, with most Personal Medical Services (PMS) practices also taking part. 4. The published QOF information was derived from the Quality Management Analysis System (QMAS), a national system developed by NHS Connecting for Health.  5. QMAS uses data from general practices to calculate individual practices' QOF achievement. QMAS is a national information technology system developed by NHS Connecting for Health to support the QOF. 6. The QMAS captures the number of patients on the various disease registers for each practice. The number of patients on the clinical registers can be used to calculate measures of disease prevalence, expressing the number of patients on each register as a percentage of the number of patients on practices' lists.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care: Diabetes register

Drugs: Finance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts fund drug treatment services that include  (a) needle exchange,  (b) clinical wound care,  (c) tests for blood-borne viruses and  (d) immunisation programmes for injecting drug users.

Anne Milton: This information requested is not collected centrally. These services are available in all parts of the country for those for whom it is clinically justified, provided either through generic services or drug treatment services.

Drugs: Public Finance

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse per quality adjusted life year for each drug with UK patient numbers of fewer than 500 which was approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the last five years.

Simon Burns: We have made no such estimate.
	When issuing final technology appraisal guidance to the national health service, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence publishes costing templates, to support NHS organisations in estimating the local cost of implementing its guidance.

Hospitals: Admissions

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many emergency bed days there were following hospital  (a) admission and  (b) readmission for acute myocardial infarction in (i) each primary care trust and (ii) England in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many readmissions to hospital there within 28 days of discharge for hospital patients originally admitted for acute myocardial infarction in  (a) each primary care trust and  (b) England in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many hospital  (a) admissions and  (b) emergency admissions there were for acute myocardial infarction in (i) each primary care trust and (ii) England in each of the last five years;

Simon Burns: A table showing admissions, emergency admissions and emergency bed days with a primary diagnosis of a heart attack by primary care trust (PCT) of residence and England from 2000-01 to 2009-10 has been placed in the Library.
	Information on re-admissions is not held centrally.

Medical Treatments Abroad: EU Countries

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the ability of  (a) men and  (b) women of state pension age to access healthcare in other EU member states through the E121 scheme; what recent representations he has received on the compatibility of the scheme with UK equalities legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Under EC Regulation 883/2004, which replaced EC Regulation 1408/71 from 1 May 2010, individuals of state pension age from one member state are able to access state provided health care on the same terms as citizens of another EU member state should they decide to take up residency there. The S1 form replaced the E121 form from 1 May 2010.
	We are not aware of any recent representation on this matter.

NHS: Reorganisation

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the likely cost to the public purse of the reorganisation of the NHS under the proposals in his Department's White Paper on Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' laid out proposals for fundamental changes to the ways that the national health service is structured and run, including for the structures of primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and the Department. The precise costs of the transition to the new system will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
	The results of a number of consultations on how the new organisations should be designed are currently being analysed. Once the results of these are known we will publish the costs of the new system in an impact assessment.

NHS: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS targets have been removed since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department removed three national health service targets from the 2010-11 performance regime on 21 June 2010:
	1. Guaranteed access to a primary care professional within 24 hours and to a primary care doctor within 48 hours.
	2. Percentage of patients seen within 18 weeks for admitted and non-admitted pathways.
	3. Patient experience of access to primary care.
	The four-hour maximum wait in Accident and Emergency has been retained with a change to a lower threshold of 95%.
	This information is contained in the 'Revision to the Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2010-11' (DEP2010-1328), which has already been placed in the Library.

Osteoporosis: Health Services

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will extend the osteoporosis directed enhanced service to 2011-12.

Paul Burstow: The osteoporosis Directed Enhanced Service is part of the current national General Practice contract negotiations between the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association and NHS Employers. Discussions on contractual arrangements to apply from April 2011 are ongoing.

Social Services: Public Expenditure

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on social care services provided for older people in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The spending review recognises the importance of social care in protecting most vulnerable in society. In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. This means, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
	We have achieved this in two ways:
	The national health service will transfer some funding from the health capital budget to health revenue, to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. This funding will rise to £1 billion in 2014-15, and will promote improved joint working between the health and social care systems. The new NHS Operating Framework will set out specific primary care trust (PCT) allocations that they will transfer to local authorities for spending on social care services to benefit health, and to improve overall health gain. PCTs and local authorities will need to work together to agree jointly appropriate areas for social care investment, with a shared analysis of need and a common agreement on the outcomes to be met. Next year, this funding will be worth £15.4 million to Birmingham city council.
	Additional grant funding, rising to £1 billion by 2014-15, will be made available for social care. This funding will be allocated in addition to the Department's existing social care grants, which will rise in line with inflation. Total grant funding from the Department for social care will reach £2.4 billion by 2014-15. In order to support local flexibility and to reduce administrative burdens, this funding will go to authorities through the Revenue Support Grant.
	Decisions on funding for adult social care are a matter for Birmingham city council, and will depend on local needs and priorities.

Tuberculosis: Health Services

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis among the non-UK born population.

Anne Milton: The Department plans to take a new approach to public health, with more effective national and local systems for tackling key public health challenges, such as tuberculosis (TB).
	In addition, the Department will continue to support TB Alert in 2011-12 in raising awareness among people at risk of TB, including those born outside the United Kingdom, to increase referrals for TB testing and ensure prompt and effective treatment is provided.

Vaccination: Influenza

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the original purchase cost was of the antivirals and vaccines which were unused during the 2009-10 flu pandemic; and what the cost to the public purse was of disposing of such drugs.

Anne Milton: The original purchase price of the antivirals and H1N1 vaccine is commercially confidential. The vast majority of the antiviral drugs are still within their shelf lives. Some of the H1N1 vaccine will have reached its shelf life by the end of this year with the remainder expiring in 2011-12. To date we have not disposed of any material quantities of antivirals or H1N1 vaccines.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Addison Lee

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether  (a) his Department and  (b) the public bodies for which it is responsible contract services from Addison Lee private hire taxi company.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has a contract with Addison Lee, part of the Department for Work and Pensions National Framework for Taxi Services.
	FCO Services, the Executive Agency of the FCO do not have a separate contract with Addison Lee but will sometimes use Addison Lee under the FCO agreement.
	The British Council, Wilton Park, the Great Britain-China Centre (GBCC) and the BBC World Service do not have a contract with Addison Lee.

Colombia: Politics and Government

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Colombian government on the disappearance of Pastor William Reyes; and if he will make further representations on that case.

Jeremy Browne: Our most recent intervention was on 17 November 2010. Our ambassador to Colombia made representations to the Director of the Colombian Presidential Programme for Human Rights and the Colombian Prosecutors' Office, requesting an update on the progress of the investigation into the disappearance of Pastor William Reyes. We will continue to monitor the investigation and seek updates from Colombian authorities.
	We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Colombian authorities both in Colombia and here in the UK.

Human Rights

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on human rights violations overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers and officials receive representations on human rights violations overseas on a regular basis. Where possible the Foreign Secretary, Ministers and officials meet with those making the representations. For example, the Foreign Secretary met with Amnesty International in October. Most recently he met with his new Human Rights Advisory Group where they discussed a wide range of human rights issues relating to conflict, counter-terrorism, and religious freedom, as well as specific countries of concern and broader strategic trends. As Minister with responsibility for human rights policy, I met with Open Doors earlier this month to receive a petition against the UN Defamation of Religions Resolution.
	The FCO's overseas missions receive information on human rights, including allegations of abuse, from a wide variety of sources. These include local non-governmental organisations, human rights defenders and local media. Our missions use this information in their assessment of the local human rights situation, and raise allegations of human rights abuses with host governments on a case-by-case basis. We do not centrally hold information on all representations received on human rights violations. To provide this information an FCO-wide search would be required which would incur disproportionate cost.
	Human rights reporting is key to our work to promote and protect human rights around the world. The FCO will publish a command paper in spring 2011 which will detail our human rights work around the world and our assessment of the human rights situation in a number of countries.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received on the number of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel  (a) in 2010,  (b) since 2005 and  (c) since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: According to the Israel Defence Force (IDF) as of 7 October, 165 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel in 2010. The IDF do not publish records prior to 2002. Since then a total of 11,293 rockets have been fired at Israel, of which 7,778 have been since 2005. The IDF note that at current levels 2010 is set to be the year with the lowest number of rocket attacks since 2002. This is small comfort to those at the receiving end and we continue to condemn all rocket attacks. Such acts of terrorism are indiscriminate and frequently target civilian populations. We call on all sides to halt acts of violence and focus efforts on a negotiated solution.

Middle East: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on implementation of support for projects in Israel and the Occupied Territories which have already received approval in principle for funding from the Conflict Pool.

Alistair Burt: A total of £4.1 million was earmarked from the 2010-11 Middle East and North Africa Conflict Pool for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The majority of the allocation is used to support the British Support Team (BST) working principally on security sector reform within the Palestinian Authority under the umbrella of the of the United States Security Coordinator, and the UK contribution to the EU Police Co-ordinating office for Palestinian Police Support (EUPOL COPPS) programme. The remainder was available to support short term projects led by Israeli and Palestinian non-governmental organisations. By September 2010 the Conflict Pool had agreed funding for 12 non-governmental organisations which amounted to 85% of the available funding. Unallocated funds for the remainder of the year are currently being reviewed. No new spending will be allocated until after the full implications of the review are known. This is unlikely to be before the end of this financial year.

Mongolia: Paralympic Games 2012

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the British Ambassador to Mongolia has had with representatives of the Mongolian Paralympic team on the adequacy of the wheelchairs available to members of the team in meeting the qualifying standard for the London 2012 Paralympics; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: Our ambassador in Mongolia has had no discussions with representatives of the Mongolian Paralympic team.
	The Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, Miyegombo Enkhbold, visited the UK on 19 October and met the Minister for Sport and the Olympics (Hugh Robertson), where they discussed the London 2012 Olympics.

Sri Lanka

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has discussed with the Sri Lankan President the establishment an independent review of events during the civil war in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise with the Government of Sri Lanka the need for a credible and independent process to look into possible violations of international humanitarian law by both sides during the conflict. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not meet the Sri Lankan President during his recent visit to the UK, but was able to stress the need for such a process when he met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 20 October. Our high commissioner in Colombo regularly raises this issue with senior members of the Sri Lankan Government, most recently with the Foreign Minister on 8 December.

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Elections

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from representatives of political parties in St Vincent and the Grenadines on the conduct of their forthcoming general election.

Jeremy Browne: Our high commissioner to the Eastern Caribbean and the resident commissioner in St Lucia (with lead responsibility for St Vincent and the Grenadines) have been in regular contact with leaders of both main political parties in St Vincent and the Grenadines over recent months. Our high commissioner to the Eastern Caribbean and the Head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Caribbean Team met the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition in St Vincent and the Grenadines on 24 November, and also called on the Supervisor of Elections and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry responsible for election arrangements. They were briefed on preparations and procedures in place for the elections and they emphasised the importance of free and fair elections.

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Elections

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the forthcoming election in St Vincent and the Grenadines is monitored by independent election scrutineers.

Jeremy Browne: The general election in St Vincent and the Grenadines will be independently monitored by election observation teams from the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). Representatives from our high commission, the US embassy, the Canadian high commission and the European Commission will also be in St Vincent and the Grenadines to monitor the electoral process. Domestic monitors will also be covering the election.
	Our high commissioner to the Eastern Caribbean and the Head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Caribbean Team called on the Supervisor of Elections and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry responsible for election arrangements on 24 November. They were briefed on preparations and procedures in place for the elections and they took the opportunity to emphasise the importance of free and fair elections, including independent monitoring.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information the Government in its capacity as a permanent member of the UN Licensing Council has been given on the number of people  (a) killed and  (b) injured during the recent Polisario demonstrations in Laayoune.

Alistair Burt: The UN Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has said that between nine and eleven Moroccan security personnel were killed in the operation to dismantle the protest camps and that two civilians were also killed in related disturbances in Laayoune. They have also reported that there were a number of injuries on both sides.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government in its capacity as a permanent member of the UN Security Council has had with the Government of Algeria on its sponsorship of the Polisario Front.

Alistair Burt: We have not had any specific discussions with the Algerian Government regarding sponsorship of the Polisario Front. However, during my visit to Algeria in November I discussed with Mr Abdelkader Messahel, the Algerian Minister for Maghrebian and African Affairs, the situation in Western Sahara and how both our countries could support progress. I also re-emphasised our support for Christopher Ross and our call on both parties to enter into negotiations in good faith and without preconditions.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken in its capacity as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to assist the UN Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK continues to support the UN Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). The UK contributes to the funding of MINURSO through our assessed costs to all UN peacekeeping missions. In 2010-11 the UK contributed £2.8 million to the UN budget for MINURSO. While President of the UN Security Council in November, we provided a platform for the Head of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations to relay its assessment of the recent events in Western Sahara to the UN Security Council.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information the Government has received in its capacity as a permanent member of the UN Security Council on the  (a) activities,  (b) identities and  (c) nationalities of the political activists involved in inciting unrest during recent peaceful demonstrations in Laayoune. [R]

Alistair Burt: The UN Security Council met on 16 November 2010 to discuss events surrounding the recent demonstrations in Laayounne. The Department of Peace Keeping Operations briefed the Council but were unable to provide any information on the activities, identities or nationalities of the demonstrators.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made through the UN Security Council on the treatment of women and children taken hostage during recent peaceful demonstrations in Laayoune. [R]

Alistair Burt: Reports of women and children being taken hostage in Laayounne have not been independently corroborated. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has therefore not made any representations through the UN Security Council on this issue.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received on the  (a) destinations and  (b) activities of young people permitted to leave the Tindouf refugee camps for educational purposes. [R]

Alistair Burt: We have been told by inhabitants of the camps that there are established educational programmes with various countries including Spain and Cuba.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on links between the Polisario Front, al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and the Tindouf refugee camps. [R]

Alistair Burt: We have not received any reports suggesting a link between the Polisario Front or the Tindouf refugee camps and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence was presented to the UN Security Council during the UK Presidency of the Council on the status of Omar Sid-Ahmed Ould Hamma, alias Omar the Sahrawi as a  (a) member of al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and  (b) security official in the Polisario Front.

Alistair Burt: No information on Omar Sid-Ahmed Ould Hamma was provided to the UN Security Council during the UK's Presidency.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence has been presented to the UN Security Council on each date during the UK Presidency on a link between the Polisario Front and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Alistair Burt: No evidence was presented to the UN Security Council during the UK Presidency on a link between the Polisario Front and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence has been presented to the UN Security Council during the UK Presidency of the Council on the indoctrination of young people in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria.

Alistair Burt: No evidence was presented to the UN Security Council during the UK Presidency of the Council on the indoctrination of young people in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algiers.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings his Department has had with his counterparts in  (a) Morocco,  (b) Spain,  (c) France,  (d) Algeria,  (e) Mali and  (f) Mauritania to discuss the activities of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on each date since 2008; and who the attendees were of each such meeting.

Alistair Burt: Previous visits by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers since 2008 include:
	 Algeria
	November 2008
	The hon. former Member for Harlow , (Bill Rammell).
	 Morocco and Mali
	November 2009
	The hon. Member for Bury South, (Mr Lewis).
	 Morocco
	June 2009
	The hon. former Member for Harlow, (Bill Rammell)
	 Mali
	December 2009
	The hon. Member for Bury South, (Mr Lewis).
	As Minister with responsibility for our relations with Morocco and Algeria, I have made visits to both countries in November 2010.
	As Ministers and senior officials continue to have regular meetings with their counterparts on this sensitive issue, naming these counterparts would not be appropriate in this circumstance.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of links between Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and UK  (a) nationals and  (b) residents; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb represents a significant terrorist threat in North Africa and the Sahel. We are aware of very few links between UK based individuals and al-Qaeda in the Maghreb.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent of the practice of people trafficking in the ungoverned spaces of the Maghreb.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have not made a recent assessment of the extent of people trafficking in the area in question. We keep our priority countries under continuous review in order to inform the UK's upstream efforts to tackle trafficking.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence has been presented to the UN Security Council during the UK presidency of the council on the demand by Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb for the release by Mauritania of Malian national Omar Sid-Ahmed Ould Hamma, alias Omar the Sahrawi in exchange for the release of Spanish aid workers.

Alistair Burt: No information on Omar Sid-Ahmed Ould Hamma was provided to the UN Security Council during the UK's presidency.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Young People

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued to people aged  (a) under 18 years and  (b) 18 years or over in (i) England and (ii) the Berkshire criminal justice area.

James Brokenshire: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) became available on 1 April 1999. Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the number of ASBOs issued is collated at Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level. Berkshire is within the Thames Valley CJS area.
	Between 1 April 1999 and 31 December 2008 (latest currently available) all courts in (i) England issued a total of  (a) 6,402 ASBOs to persons under 18 years of age and  (b) 9,384 ASBOs to persons aged 18 or over. 305 ASBOs were issued to persons whose age was not reported to the Ministry of Justice.
	During the same period all courts in (ii) the Thames Valley CJS area issued a total of  (a) 81 ASBOs to persons under 18 years of age and  (b) 215 ASBOs to persons aged 18 or over. 10 ASBOs were issued to persons whose age was not reported to the Ministry of Justice.
	ASBO data covering the period up to the end of 2009 are due to be published on 25 January 2011.

Asylum

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been granted discretionary leave to remain in each year since 2005.

Damian Green: holding answer 13 December 2010
	The information requested is given in the following tables. Table A shows statistics for grants of discretionary leave in asylum applications while Table B shows grants in non-asylum applications for the years 2005 to 2009.
	
		
			  Table A: Grants of discretionary leave( 1,2)  on asylum applications received in the United Kingdom, including dependants, 2005 to 2009 
			  Number of persons 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 ( 3) 2009 
			 Total 2,795 2,335 2,150 2,175 2,675 
			 of whom: principal applicants 2,675 2,245 2,075 2,075 2,460 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest five and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (3) Provisional figures.  Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Grants of discretionary leave( 1,2,3)  in non-asylum applications received in the United Kingdom, excluding EEA and Swiss nationals, 2005 to 2009 
			  Number of decisions 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 ( 4) 2009 
			 Total 2,860 3,665 4,115 5,730 11,635 
			 of whom: principal applicants 2,790 3,570 3,460 4,725 9,335 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest five. (2) Information is of latest decision, including the outcome of appeals and other subsequent decisions. (3) Derived from data presented in table 4.1 of 'Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom, 2009'. Grants of discretionary leave to remain in the UK are based on a management information definition and are not directly comparable with the categories published in table 4.1. (4) Provisional figures.  Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics 
		
	
	Statistics for grants of discretionary leave in applications for asylum in the United Kingdom are published in table 2.1 of 'Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary United Kingdom July-September 2010' which is available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	A copy has been placed in the House Library.
	Statistics for grants of discretionary leave in applications other than those for asylum are published within sub categories of data presented in table 4.1 of 'Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom, 2009'. This publication is available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website and is in the House Library.

Deportation

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals before Immigration and Asylum tribunals were adjourned because her Department failed to comply with removal directions in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: holding answer 13 December 2010
	There have been no recorded instances of adjournment at Immigration and Asylum Tribunal as a result of the Secretary of State's failure to comply with removal directions. The Secretary of State will only set removal directions (which give 72 hours notice of a planned removal) once an individual's in country appeal rights have been exhausted and works to ensure those directions are complied with and the individual is removed in accordance with those directions.
	Litigation brought by an individual may result in removal directions being withdrawn by the Secretary of State to enable that litigation to be resolved. Such applications would not be made to the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal, but the High Court.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has assessed the merits of allowing women who are in the UK on spouse visas to have access to refuge accommodation; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 14 December 2010
	A Home Office pilot project for victims of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds commenced in November 2009 and on 16 July 2010 the Home Secretary announced an extension to the project until the end of March 2011.
	In the strategic narrative 'Call to End Violence against Women and Girls' on 25 November, the Home Secretary confirmed her intention to ensure that women in the UK on spouse visas who are victims of domestic violence should receive support while their case for indefinite leave is considered and that the Home Office will continue to fund support while an effective and sustainable permanent solution is established.
	Work on a longer term solution is under way and information from the pilot so far will help inform these discussions.

Drugs

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cross-departmental ministerial meetings there have been on issues related to tackling drugs since her appointment.

James Brokenshire: Drugs have been discussed at a number of ministerial bilaterals and inter-ministerial meetings, including at the inter-ministerial group on drugs which was responsible for driving the development of the Government's new Drug Strategy.

Foreign Students: Monitoring

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements her Department makes to monitor the flow of foreign students  (a) into and  (b) out of the UK.

Damian Green: All applicants coming to the UK to study under Tier 4 must be in possession of a visa before travelling. As part of the visa issuing process, applicants have their biometrics taken and their details are checked against watch lists.
	On arrival in the UK students, like all other passengers, are subject to further immigration checks to ensure they satisfy the requirements of the Immigration Act 1971 and Immigration Rules.
	The e-Borders system enables checks to be made on individuals arriving or exiting the country at a majority of the points of entry to the UK. The Government are committed to ensuring that the number of UK ports undertaking exit checks is increased to ensure a complete travel history record on all passengers.
	While in the UK the licensed sponsor is required to monitor the student's attendance and progress and must report any issues of non compliance to the UK Border Agency. These reports are monitored by the UK Border Agency and action taken against both the student and sponsor, where appropriate.
	The Government are currently reviewing Tier 4 of the Points Based System and a public consultation opened on 7 December. This review will also be looking at the post study work route.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of sentence handed down to a person convicted of offences related to human trafficking was in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The following figures are provided by the UK Human Trafficking Centre's interrogation of the Police National Computer.
	 Traffic king for forced labour arrest ( but no trafficking conviction)
	2006-11.5 months
	2007-One year nine months
	2008-Two years
	2009-11.3 months
	2010-Five years nine months
	 Trafficking for sexual exploitation arrest (but no trafficking conviction)
	2006-Three years one month
	2007-Two years two months
	2008-Two years two months
	2009-One year eight months
	2010-Three years six months
	The information in this answer was previously provided to you erroneously in my response to parliamentary question 21737 on 19 November 2010,  Official Report, column 1001-02W. The question asked for average length of sentence for those originally charged with offences related to human trafficking but subsequently prosecuted for a lesser charge in each of the last five years. The answer to that question should have stated that it was not possible to provide an answer as the Police National Computer does not hold details of charge history. I apologise for this error and hope that this answer clarifies the responses to both questions.

Human Trafficking

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet representatives of Stop the Traffik to discuss her policy on human trafficking.

Damian Green: The voluntary sector plays a key role in the identification of, and provision of support to, victims of human trafficking. We are strongly supportive of this role and will continue to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to reduce the incidence of human trafficking. On 14 October I visited Stop the Traffik to mark Anti-Slavery Day.
	Home Office officials will shortly be contacting non-governmental organisations to discuss development of the forthcoming strategy on human trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet Save the Children to discuss child trafficking prior to her announcement of a strategy for human trafficking.

Damian Green: The voluntary sector plays a key role in the identification of, and provision of support to, victims of human trafficking. We are strongly supportive of this role and will continue to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to reduce the incidence of human trafficking.
	Home Office officials will shortly be contacting non-governmental organisations to discuss development of the forthcoming strategy on human trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will discuss with Soroptimist International her Department's policy on the publication and distribution of advertisements for sexual services prior to concluding her proposed strategy on human trafficking.

Damian Green: We are considering what can be done to prevent the advertising of sexual services in local newspapers. We have received correspondence from Soroptimist International on this issue and will take into account their representations before deciding whether further action should be taken to prevent the advertising of sexual services, including, where appropriate, through the upcoming human trafficking strategy.

Human Trafficking

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet representatives of the Human Trafficking Foundation to discuss the development of policy on human trafficking.

Damian Green: The voluntary sector plays a key role in the identification of, and provision of support to, victims of human trafficking. We are strongly supportive of this role and will continue to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to reduce the incidence of human trafficking.
	Home Office officials will shortly be contacting non-governmental organisations to discuss development of the forthcoming strategy on human trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet representatives of Kalayaan to discuss her policy on human trafficking and the eradication of domestic slavery.

Damian Green: holding answer 14 December 2010
	 The voluntary sector plays a key role in the identification of, and provision of support to, victims of human trafficking. We are strongly supportive of this role and will continue to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to reduce the incidence of human trafficking.
	Home Office officials will shortly be contacting non-governmental organisations to discuss development of the forthcoming strategy on human trafficking.

Identity Cards: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many national identity cards were issued to residents of Northern Ireland prior to the announcement of the programme's abolition.

Damian Green: Nine national identity cards were issued to people resident in Northern Ireland.

Late Night Levy

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what mechanisms she plans to measure the effects of the late night levy on the night-time economy; whether her policy on that levy will be reviewed after a determined period; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The effect of the late night levy will vary across the country. We believe local authorities are best placed to measure these effects. When deciding whether to introduce a levy, a local authority will consider the desirability of funding the policing and other costs of preventing or reducing crime associated with the supply of alcohol in the late-night economy. We have no plans to review the policy at present.

Police: Pensions

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has provided guidance to police forces and police authorities on the implementation of Regulation A19 of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2010
	 The Home Office has not issued any guidance or procedures specifically on the use of Regulation A19 under this Government.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the operational costs of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in Northern Ireland have been in each year since its inception.

Damian Green: The Serious Organised Crime Agency's budget is not managed on a geographic basis and so it is not possible to determine what the operational costs have been in Northern Ireland since its inception.

UK Border Agency: Training

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training in safeguarding children and protection needs UK Border Agency enforcement staff receive.

Damian Green: On 2 November 2009, a new statutory duty for the UK Border Agency to safeguard children was introduced under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009. Under this duty, all UK Border Agency staff, including enforcement staff, must complete a level 1 training package to promote awareness of children's welfare and help them to identify children at risk or in need and what action to take once identified.
	Those staff whose roles include frequent contact with children must complete more extensive training, at levels 2 & 3 (dependent upon their role). They develop specialist skills and techniques, including: handling children who may be potential victims of trafficking; the national referral mechanism; internet grooming; and the UN convention on the rights of the child (best interest).
	The UK Border Agency is currently reviewing their approach to managing family cases and is developing further training by working closely with child welfare organisations.

JUSTICE

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many invoices his Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: For the period from November 2009 to November 2010, the Ministry of Justice paid 961,475 invoices. A monthly analysis is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 December 2009 79,676 
			 January 2010 70,051 
			 February 2010 82,488 
			 March 2010 99,513 
			 April 2010 78,546 
			 May 2010 75,332 
			 June 2010 82,939 
			 July 2010 78,868 
			 August 2010 74,301 
			 September 2010 78,822 
			 October 2010 76,615 
			 November 2010 84,324

Drugs: Dartford

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people normally resident in  (a) Dartford constituency and  (b) the criminal justice area covering Dartford constituency were convicted for drug-related offences in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in the Kent police force area for drug offences from 2005 to 2009 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Figures presented are for courts in the Kent police force area where defendants were proceeded against only. It is not possible to identify from data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice the residential address of defendants. This information will be held on individual court records.
	Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
	
		
			  The number of persons found guilty at all courts for drug offences in Kent police force area, 2005 to 2009( 1, 2) 
			 2005 601 
			 2006 573 
			 2007 682 
			 2008(3) 1,220 
			 2009 1,293 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice. Our ref: PQ 30413 (Table)

EU Measure

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the Government has  (a) considered exercising and  (b) exercised an opt-in to a new EU measure in each of the last five years; and which such measures the Government has opted into.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (James Brokenshire) on 14 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 35-36WS, which provides these details in respect of measures for which the Home Secretary is responsible.
	The Government carefully consider whether or not to opt-in to new measures on each and every occasion the question arises. Since 1 December 2005 the Government have considered whether to exercise the UK's opt-in in relation to over 90 measures in many different policy areas.
	I set out in the following list the main measures in which the UK has opted in during this period of time and which are the responsibility of my Department and its predecessor constituent parts that became the Ministry of Justice in May 2007. I have also included several measures and international agreements with Justice and Home Affairs elements on which other Departments lead but which are also within the scope of this question as the opt-in also applies to such elements.
	This list excludes minor amendments to instruments which have been agreed via further legislative instruments; comitology agreements (again emerging from these instruments); measures on the financial programmes in this area; or legislative instruments giving effect to international agreements, such as the conventions of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
	
		
			  Ref  Title  Year of opt-in decision 
			 593/2008 Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the law applicable to contractual obligations ("Rome I") 2008 
			 4/2009 Council Regulation on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and co-operation in matters relating to maintenance obligations 2008 
			 568/2009/EC Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 amending Council Decision 2001/470/EC establishing a European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters 2008 
			 2010/64/EU Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings (Member States) initiative 2010 
			 17513/09 Draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Protection Order 2010 
			 12564/10 Draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Right to Information in Criminal Proceedings 2010 
			 8502/10; 8523/10 EU-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement 2010 
			 2010/0178 Council Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the United States of America on the processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data from the European Union to the United States for the purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme 2010 
			 8155/10 Draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating the sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, extending and repealing Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA 2010

Pleural Plaques

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he to assist those people affected by pleural plaques diagnosed after 17 October 2007.

Jonathan Djanogly: The pleural plaques former claimants' payment scheme was set up to provide payments to those individuals who had begun, but not resolved, a legal claim for compensation for pleural plaques at the time of the 2007 House of Lords judgment that the condition was not compensatable under the civil law. This specific group of people had an understandable expectation at the time of making their legal claim that it would result in compensation, and there are no plans to extend the scheme to people diagnosed with pleural plaques after 17 October 2007. However the Government remain committed to supporting people who develop serious asbestos related conditions such as mesothelioma.

Prison Service: Psychology

Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) chartered psychologists,  (b) trainee psychologists and  (c) psychological assistants have been employed by the Prison Service in the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the number of chartered psychologists, trainee psychologists and psychological assistants employed by the public sector Prison Service in the last five years is shown in the following tables. Both joiners and staff in post figures are provided for the period. These figures include associated workers, who are involved with programmes but are not psychologists.
	
		
			  Number of psychologists joining the public sector Prison Service between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2010 
			  Grade  Total 
			 Chartered psychologist(1) 49 
			 Trainee psychologist 98 
			 Psychological assistant 1,015 
			 Total 1,162 
			 (1) Chartered Psychologist includes psychology manager and senior manager grades. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of psychologists in post in the public sector Prison Service in the last five years 
			   As at 31 March each year 
			  Grade  2010  2009  2008  2007  2006 
			 Chartered psychologist(1) 253 314 325 320 314 
			 Training psychologists 352 312 336 328 271 
			 Psychological assistant 371 373 401 397 364 
			 Total 976 999 1062 1045 949 
			 (1) Chartered Psychologist includes psychology manager and senior manager grades.

Property Law: Cohabitation

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the simplification of property law for unmarried co-habiting couples whose relationship ends.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have received a small number of representations on the simplification of property law for unmarried co-habiting couples whose relationship ends. These have been from hon. Members on behalf of their constituents and from members of the public who have written directly to me or other Ministers.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh: Agriculture

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to encourage agricultural development in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently funding a number of ongoing programmes, which support agricultural development in Bangladesh. For example, we are supporting poor farmers to improve their production and generate more income in six key agricultural sectors (potatoes, maize, vegetable, jute, fish and prawns). We also support over 2 million very poor people in urban and rural areas to undertake agricultural activities (livestock rearing, homestead gardening) for their own consumption and for sale.
	Decisions on the future direction of the UK's development programme in Bangladesh over the next four years are due to be taken in February/March 2011.

Bangladesh: Agriculture

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on agricultural development in Bangladesh in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following amounts on agriculture and rural development in Bangladesh in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 9,853,700 
			 2006-07 13,353,800 
			 2007-08 13,132,700 
			 2008-09 16,707,000 
			 2009-10 17,063,000 
			 Total 70,110,200 
		
	
	In addition, we have spent £16,097,000 on agriculture and rural development in Bangladesh so far during the current financial year 2010-11.

Bangladesh: Climate Change

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effects of climate change on  (a) agriculture and  (b) food security in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has supported a number of joint assessments with the Government of Bangladesh and other development partners.
	DFID supported the development of the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009. The BCCSAP outlines the risks that Bangladesh faces due to climate change, including in agriculture and food security, and provides a framework for engagement and investment to enable the country to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Further information on the BCCSAP can be found at:
	www.moef.gov.bd
	In conjunction with other development partners, the UK also helped the Government of Bangladesh develop a Country Investment Plan for agriculture, food security and nutrition. This provides a coherent set of priority investment programmes, including on adapting to climate change. The report can be accessed at:
	www.ifpri.org/event/bangladesh-food-security-investment-forum

Bangladesh: Climate Change

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that poor farmers in Bangladesh are able to adapt to climate change.

Alan Duncan: The UK is the largest donor to the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund. This multi-donor fund will support the implementation of the Government of Bangladesh's Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP).
	The BCCSAP includes a range of climate adaptation programmes in Bangladesh, including ensuring that poor farmers are able to adapt to climatic shock and protect their livelihoods. The BCCSAP also includes piloting the introduction of drought and saline resistant rice varieties which will make crops more climate resilient, as well as infrastructure improvement projects such as strengthening embankments and dykes to protect the most vulnerable areas of the country.

Bangladesh: Climate Change

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on climate change adaptation for smallholder farmers in Bangladesh in each of the last five years; and what proportion of his Department's expenditure on  (a) climate change measures overseas,  (b) climate change adaptation overseas,  (c) climate change measures in the developing world and (d) climate change adaptation in the developing world this represents.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent £11,917,185 on climate change adaptation in Bangladesh over the last five years through a number of programmes. One major programme, the Comprehensive Disaster Management programme, has helped local communities develop disaster risk reduction action plans and provided funds to implement them. It has also provided support for national early warning systems that provide information on cyclone and flood risks to the general population. These activities directly benefit smallholder farmers as well as other vulnerable people, including the extreme poor and landless.
	DFID does not keep separate records of amounts spent on climate change adaptation for smallholder farmers in Bangladesh. It is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown for each of the last five years, nor to compare it to the various total expenditures on climate change overseas and in the developing world.

Bangladesh: Food

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the food security situation in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development monitors the food security situation in Bangladesh closely, drawing on our own analysis as well as external sources (e.g. the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the Bangladesh Food Policy Monitoring Unit). Our current assessment is that rice production in 2010 will be around 3% higher than in 2009 and that there is no general shortage of food in the country. However, food prices continue to rise faster than general inflation and around 20% of the population continue to suffer from food insecurity. Although not heavily dependent on food imports, Bangladesh also remains vulnerable to fluctuations in global food prices, particularly for rice and wheat.
	Food insecurity is particularly acute in the southern areas of Bangladesh, which were affected by cyclone Aila in 2009. Through the World Food Programme, the UK is providing additional food and nutritional supplements to 13,000 families who continue to live on embankments more than one year after the cyclone.

Bangladesh: Food

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on emergency food aid in Bangladesh in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following amounts on emergency food aid in Bangladesh in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 62,173 
			 2006-07 216,334 
			 2007-08 1,255,273 
			 2008-09 0 
			 2009-10 0 
			 Total 1,533,779 
		
	
	In addition, we have spent £900,000 on emergency food aid in Bangladesh so far during the current financial year 2010-11.

Botswana: Agriculture

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what plans he has to assist the agricultural development of Botswana;
	(2)  what plans he has to assist Botswana to meet its commitments under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development programme.

Alan Duncan: Our plans to assist agricultural development in Botswana are primarily through the Department for International Development's (DFID's) support to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development programme (CAAPD). DFID has so far contributed £10 million to CAADP, which aims to strengthen Pan-African and regional institutions' agricultural productivity.

Botswana: Agriculture

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on agricultural development in Botswana in each of the last five years.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has had no bilateral programme in Botswana since 2005. Botswana still benefits indirectly from a range of regional and continental initiatives. However, DFID recording systems do not routinely disaggregate country level expenditure under such programmes. Compiling the requested information would incur disproportionate cost.

Botswana: Climate Change

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effects of climate change on agriculture and food security in Botswana.

Alan Duncan: Department for International Development's (DFID's) Southern Africa Regional Climate Change Programme has carried out an assessment of the effects of climate change on agriculture and food security in Botswana. While the current climate is already contributing to low food production, the effects of future climate change are expected to be devastating-some of the highest warming rates in the region are projected for Botswana.

Botswana: Climate Change

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist farmers in Botswana to adapt to climate change.

Alan Duncan: As the Department for International Development (DFID) has no bilateral country programme in Botswana, our support to farmers facing climate change is indirect through regional, continental and global programmes.
	The UK Government have committed to providing £1.5 billion in fast start finance over the period 2010-12, to help the developing world carry out the urgent work needed to adapt to climate change, adopt clean technology and reduce emissions from deforestation. This year, the UK is allocating approximately 41% of its fast start allocation for adaptation, a significant share of which has been designed to benefit smallholder farmers.

Botswana: Climate Change

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on climate change adaptation for smallholder farmers in Botswana in each of the last five years; and what proportion of his Department's expenditure on  (a) climate change overseas,  (b) climate change adaptation overseas,  (c) climate change in the developing world and  (d) climate change adaptation in the developing world this represents.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has had no bilateral country programme in Botswana since 2005. Botswana still benefits indirectly from a range of regional and continental initiatives tackling climate change adaptation. However, DFID recording systems do not routinely disaggregate country level expenditure under such programmes. Compiling the requested information would incur disproportionate cost.
	DFID recognises that smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The UK Government have committed to providing £1.5 billion in Fast Start finance over the period 2010-12, to help the developing world carry out the urgent work needed to adapt to climate change, adopt clean technology and reduce emissions from deforestation. This year, the UK is allocating approximately 41% of its Fast Start allocation for adaptation, a significant share of which has been designed to benefit smallholder farmers.

Botswana: Food

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the food security situation in Botswana.

Alan Duncan: According to the latest analysis carried out by the Southern Africa Development Community, cereal production has more than doubled in Botswana since last year, following good rains and the provision of incentives to farmers, but the country still faces a national cereal deficit. This results in malnutrition, especially among poor families.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many invoices his Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) made a total of 45,816 payments during the period December 2009 to November 2010.

Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of administering overseas aid funded by his Department.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) will cut core administration costs by a third over the next four years of the spending review 2010 (SR10).
	The key steps the Department plans to take are to:
	(i) Drive efficiencies in back office functions;
	(ii) Reduce consultancy costs;
	(iii) Rationalise the floor space and increase rental opportunity for our London office;
	(iv) Review our global footprint aligned with the Bilateral Aid Review;
	(v) Drive efficiencies in travel, training and staff allowances costs; and
	(vi) Reduce the number of senior civil servants.
	The Department's annual operational planning process will confirm details of how we will meet the savings target.

Sierra Leone: Economic Growth

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to increase the rate of long-term economic growth in Sierra Leone.

Stephen O'Brien: Sierra Leone is making a robust recovery from the economic downturn, with growth forecast to reach 5.2% in 2011 and 6% in 2012, which is comparable to the sub-Saharan Africa regional average.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting Sierra Leone to increase the rate of economic growth. Following the outcome of the bilateral aid review (BAR), DFID will take forward work to improve the investment climate and stimulate private investment in Sierra Leone, thereby increasing economic growth. DFID will improve the investment climate by supporting macroeconomic stability and simplifying the tax regime. DFID will increase private investment and productivity by improving the country's energy infrastructure, as well as making complementary investments for developing human capital. The UK Government will also support the Government of Sierra Leone to maximise economic growth from investments in key sectors, including the minerals sector.

Sudan: Reconstruction

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to develop peacebuilding projects in Sudan.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK is working actively to prevent conflict and build peace in Sudan. We are a strong supporter of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and we are working intensively with partners to ensure a peaceful and credible Southern Sudan referendum in January 2011, whose outcome is respected by all and which lays the basis for peaceful relations between North and South. I visited Sudan in November to press for progress and the Foreign Secretary chaired a special Security Council session on Sudan on 16 November under our presidency to build international consensus. The UK also continues to support efforts for a comprehensive and inclusive settlement which ends the conflict in Darfur.
	The UK also funds a number of programmes focusing on peacebuilding in Sudan. For example, our three year support to the Southern Sudan Peacebuilding Fund implemented by Pact Sudan, an international NGO, is helping over 100 local organisations of elders, youth, and women's groups in Southern Sudan to take early steps to prevent conflict, or intervene and mediate when conflicts erupt. Our £5 million contribution to the multi-donor Darfur Community Peace and Stability Fund has helped reduce tension between pastoralists and farmers. In its next phase, the Darfur Community Peace and Stability Fund will support the building of 60 new water systems to provide fairer access to water which will reduce conflict between communities.

UN Women

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the executive director of UN Women on the development programme of the agency; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State for International Development met the Head of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, at the millennium development goals (MDG) summit in New York in September this year. The UK Government maintains close contact with Ms Bachelet's office and with her senior staff.

UN Women

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria he is applying in his Department's multilateral aid review to determine the UK's financial contribution to UN Women.

Alan Duncan: In July this year, the UK Government began a review of all the funding we provide to multilateral agencies. This review is using criteria that include results, value for money and how well agencies work with other partners in delivering for poor people.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) strongly supports the establishment of the new United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, known as UN Women. UNIFEM, which is the largest of the agencies that will be merged into UN Women, is being assessed according to the multilateral aid review criteria. It will be important to take these findings into account when making a decision on UK funding for UN Women.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) funds and  (b) other resources his Department has allocated to Yemen in the last 12 months.  [Official Report, 12 Janaury 2011, Vol. 521, c. 5MC.]

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development has allocated £50 million of programme funding for development projects in Yemen for this financial year 2010-11. In financial year 2009-10 a total of £27 million was disbursed, as reported in "Statistics for International Development", available on DFID's website.
	There are ten international staff and six local staff working full-time on the Yemen programme.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Conferences: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Attorney-General what the Law Officers' Departments' annual budget for conferences was on  (a) 7 May 2010 and  (b) 7 December 2010.

Dominic Grieve: The information requested is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Conference budget 
			  Department  7 May 2010  7 December 2010 
			 TSol, AGO and HMCPSI(1) 12,000 0 
			 SFO(2) 201,000 61,000 
			 CPS(1) 190,000 127,500 
			 NFA(3) 17,365 5,000 
			 (1) The cost of staff attending conferences as part of their ongoing training is met from the training budget. The training budget does not separately identify the amount allocated to conferences. (2) The SFO budget for conferences covers both internal staff conferences and attendance at external events by staff as well as other minor expenditure such as sponsorship. (3) This figure also covers staff attendance at external conferences.

Ejup Ganic

John Whittingdale: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of the Crown Prosecution Service's budget for 2010-11 has been accounted for by the case of Ejup Ganic.

Dominic Grieve: The extradition proceedings on behalf of the Republic of Serbia in respect of Dr Ejup Ganic accounted for 0.015% of the Crown Prosecution Service's budget for 2010-11.

Ejup Ganic

John Whittingdale: To ask the Attorney-General what expenses have been paid to prosecution witnesses or other employees for attending the extradition hearing of Ejup Ganic.

Dominic Grieve: No witness expenses were paid by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for witnesses attending the extradition hearing of Dr Ejup Ganic. Travel and subsistence claims made by CPS staff are not recorded against individual cases. It is however estimated that claims for attending the extradition hearing did not exceed £150.

Ejup Ganic

John Whittingdale: To ask the Attorney-General what translation costs have been incurred by the Crown Prosecution Service on the case of Ejup Ganic.

Dominic Grieve: The total costs incurred by the Crown Prosecution Servicer (CPS) in respect of translation/interpretation in the extradition proceedings of Dr Ejup Ganic amounted to £1,600.
	The CPS assigned a Serbo-Croat-speaking member of staff to liaise with the Serbian authorities to minimise interpretation and translation costs. The Serbian authorities appointed an English speaker to liaise with the CPS and counsel. All documentation provided in support of the request was translated prior to submission into English by the Serbian authorities, although on one occasion a document was translated into English by a translator paid by the CPS so that it could be given urgent consideration by counsel in advance of the official translation being submitted. The CPS also paid the costs of an interpreter attending the extradition hearing for one of its witnesses.

Human Trafficking: International Cooperation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney-General what co-operation there is between the police and police forces in  (a) other European countries and  (b) non-European countries in respect of human trafficking.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply.
	Effective collaboration and co-operation with international law enforcement partners is an essential part of the United Kingdom's approach to tackling human trafficking.
	As part of the overall programme to tackle organised immigration crime, including human trafficking, the Serious Organised Crime Agency runs programmes of activity which focus on source and transit countries. This involves co-operation with international law enforcement agencies bilaterally and through Interpol and Europol.
	The Metropolitan police service in conjunction with the Romanian national police established a Joint Investigation Team. This led to a number of arrests in both the UK and Romania of an organised crime gang involved in trafficking children to the UK and within Europe.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Education

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2010,  Official Report, column968W, on arts: education, whether he discussed the withdrawal of teaching support funding from arts degree courses with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills before the decision was announced.

Jeremy Hunt: I did not discuss funding for arts degree courses with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills before the outcome of the spending review.

British Sky Broadcasting

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had recent discussions with (i) Ofcom and (ii) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the News Corporation bid for BskyB.

Jeremy Hunt: Ministers and officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) discuss a wide range of issues with Ofcom and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. DCMS has responsibility for the Media sector, including the Media Ownership rules: accordingly, it is important to understand the competition process that will be followed in the News Corporation bid for BSkyB. However, there is no DCMS role in the decision making process and I have no locus for intervention.

Creative Partnerships

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when the funding for Creative Partnership projects will end.

Jeremy Hunt: Funding is in place to support the current round of Creative Partnership schools through to the end of the academic year in July 2011.

Creative Partnerships

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to replace the work of creative partnerships in schools.

Jeremy Hunt: Creative Partnerships are funded by Arts Council England which believes that every child should have the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts and has made this one of its strategic goals for the next decade. In addition to encouraging schools to raise standards of arts education through Arts Award and Artsmark, Arts Council England will support children and young people as part of its national portfolio funding programme.

Creative Partnerships: Young People

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many young people have participated in creative partnerships since their inception; what assessment he has made of the outcomes of such partnerships; and what evidence he evaluated to make that assessment.

Jeremy Hunt: Over 1 million children have participated in Creative Partnerships since 2002. A number of independent research projects have been published, but my Department has not conducted its own assessment of the programme.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on press cuttings services in each year since 1997.

John Penrose: The amounts spent by the Department on press cuttings in each year since 1997 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Cost £ (exc. VAT) 
			 2009-10 48,374.06 
			 2008-09 45,402.86 
			 2007-08 68,072.16 
			 2006-07 86,945.43 
			 2005-06 61,690.33 
			 2004-05 62,958.24 
			 2003-04 70,384.48 
			 2002-03 55,363.64 
			 2001-02 56,652.75 
			 2000-01 50,488.37 
			 1999-2000 46,575.73 
			 1998-99 33,830.58 
			 1997-98 25,478.99 
		
	
	These costs include copyright charges to the Newspaper Licensing Agency paid via our press cuttings service provider.

English Heritage

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much English Heritage spent on staffing in Cornwall in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much English Heritage spent on external consultants for projects in Cornwall in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the budget for English Heritage is in the South West for  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12;
	(4)  how many employees English Heritage employed in  (a) Cornwall and  (b) the South West in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Penrose: The information requested is not held by this Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of English Heritage.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of English Heritage to write direct to the hon. Member for Camborne and Redruth.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Football: World Cup

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with  (a) the Football Association and  (b) his Australian counterpart on support for the Australian bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Hugh Robertson: Over the last few months, the Secretary of State and I have had a wide range of meetings to discuss the World Cup bids for 2018 and 2022. However, which bid for 2022 received the support of the English bid was a question for the Football Association.

Libraries

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what consideration he has given to the merits of using his statutory powers in the event of a local authority not fulfilling its legal duty to maintain an acceptable level of library provision.

Jeremy Hunt: The Department takes compliance with the statutory duty to provide a 'comprehensive and efficient' library service under the Public Libraries and Museum Act very seriously. The Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries (Mr Vaizey) wrote to all local authorities recently to remind them of their statutory duties.
	The use of the Secretary of State's statutory powers must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Olympic Games 2012

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with  (a) the Olympic Park Legacy Company and  (b) the London borough of Newham on (i) bids for the use of the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Olympics and (ii) the effect of each bid on the development of (A) UK athletics, (B) UK sport and (C) the economy.

Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Park Legacy Company is responsible for determining the long-term legacy use of the Olympic Stadium and from time to time provides updates on progress to its founder members (the Mayor of London, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport).

Olympic Games 2012: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to the use of venues in Northern Ireland as training venues for the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has not had discussions with the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to the use of venues in Northern Ireland as Olympic training venues for the London 2012 Olympics. However, I met my Northern Ireland counterpart at the Commonwealth games in Delhi.
	There are 26 potential pre-games training camp (PGTC) venues in Northern Ireland listed in the pre-games training camp guide, and agreements for use of PGTC's are made directly between a National Olympic Committee or National Paralympic Committee and the facility. Games-time training venues must be within a short travelling distance of athletes' accommodation, and there are no competition venues in Northern Ireland.

Sports: Parks

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many outdoor fitness parks for adults were built in each year since 2005.

Hugh Robertson: Neither this Department nor Sport England holds the information in the format requested.

Sports: Tickets

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the annual number of tickets for  (a) sporting and  (b) arts events which are sold on the secondary market.

Hugh Robertson: The Government have not made any estimates of the number of tickets sold on the secondary market.

Sportsgrounds

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what research his Department has evaluated on the number of stadiums used for athletic events at each Olympiad which are no longer capable of hosting athletic competitions.

Hugh Robertson: This Department has not evaluated specific research on athletics stadiums used for previous Olympic Games and their post-Games use.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland Flag

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will bring forward proposals for an officially-recognised flag for Northern Ireland.

Hugo Swire: Flags are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. The Union flag is the official flag of Northern Ireland.

Residual Terrorist Groups

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the threat to security in Northern Ireland from residual terrorist groups; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: The threat level in Northern Ireland is currently 'Severe', meaning an attack is highly likely. So far this year there have been 39 attacks against national security targets. But these groups also engage in civil administration and many other criminal activities, and are a scourge on the community. They will not drag Northern Ireland back to the past.

Comprehensive Spending Review: Community Policing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the effects of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on the contribution of frontline community policing to tackling security threats in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: I meet regularly with the Minister of Justice to discuss policing the security threat. I am clear that we have secured a fair settlement for Northern Ireland as part of the spending review, which will allow the PSNI to carry out its duties. This Government will ensure that the PSNI are equipped to deal with the threat.

Economic Growth

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to increase levels of economic growth in Northern Ireland.

Hugo Swire: The Government are committed to creating a dynamic economy for the whole of the UK, based on higher levels of business investment and greater exports. The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke) will publish a paper on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy in the new year, following consultation with Northern Ireland Ministers.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many invoices his Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Owen Paterson: Since April 2010, 6,143 invoices have been paid by the shared service provider on behalf of the Department. Comparable figures prior to this date for the Department as it is now configured are not available, following the completion of devolution on 12 April 2010.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on his Department's annual expenditure.

Owen Paterson: No estimates have been made within the Department in respect of the forthcoming increase in the standard rate of value added tax. All business areas within the Department have been made aware of the impending increase and are required to live within their delegated budgets.
	Going forward, departmental spending review settlements are set on a tax-inclusive basis, including the increase to the standard rate of VAT.

Terrorism

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with political parties in Northern Ireland on measures to deal with the past and its legacy in Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Torfaen (Paul Murphy) on 7 December 2010,  Official Report, column 133W.

Terrorism

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made in the development of a strategy for dealing with the past and its legacy in Northern Ireland since May 2010.

Owen Paterson: Since May, I have met a range of political parties, victims groups and community organisations to seek to find a way forward on how to deal with the past in Northern Ireland. I shall set out my thinking next year. While considering what role the Government can play in any broader strategy to deal with the past, we have also adopted a consistent and open approach to the conclusions of reviews and reports into individual cases. Since May 2010, the Government have published and responded to the Bloody Sunday and Billy Wright Inquiry reports, and made a full statement in response to the police ombudsman's report into the Claudy bombings.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the likely effects on the economy of Northern Ireland of the proposed increase in air passenger duty.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter) on 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 83W.

Banks: Finance

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to sell the Government's bank shareholdings; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) manages the Government's investments in Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group on an arm's length and commercial basis. The Government have made it clear that it is not a permanent investor in UK banks and that its intention, overtime, is to dispose of all the investments.
	UKFI's remit is to devise and execute a strategy for disposing of the Government's investments in an orderly and active way in line with its overarching objective to create and protect value for the taxpayer as shareholder. Because any decisions need to be taken in the context of changing economic and market conditions, UKFI do not think that it is possible or desirable to state hard goals such as time that would drive the sale of the Government's shares. But circumstances under which UKFI are likely to be able to sell shares are likely to be those in which the economy-and investor confidence-is recovering and in which bank share prices are firm.

Banks: Manpower

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people banks with headquarters outside the UK have employed in the UK in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the revenue which has accrued to the Exchequer from taxation on such banks.

Mark Hoban: Responsibility for employment statistics rests with the independent Office for National Statistics.
	The information required to estimate the revenue received by the Exchequer from taxation on banks with headquarters outside the UK is not currently available.

Departmental Official Cars

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department are entitled to the use of (i) a car with a dedicated driver, (ii) a car from the Government car pool and (iii) a taxi ordered through a departmental account.

David Gauke: Under new arrangements announced on 21 May, all Treasury Ministers other than the Chancellor (for security reasons) cancelled their allocated car and driver and have been using the on demand ministerial car pool. No official or special advisor is entitled to an allocated car and driver and only Ministers are entitled to use the Government car pool service.
	Civil servants and special advisers may only use an official car or taxi in properly defined circumstances.
	A revised Travel and Expenses policy was introduced in July 2010 with stricter rules on travel, including taxis. Use of taxis is not an entitlement and official journeys should be made by public transport, particularly in London. Taxi fares may only be claimed where no suitable public transport is available, where travelling in an unknown locality, where public transport is infrequent or where the saving in official time is important. Taxi fares may also be reimbursed between home and the office where the journey is either early in the morning (before 6.30am) or late at night (after 10.00pm) and alternative methods of public transport are not available, for reasonable adjustment cases, welfare reasons and issues of personal safety.
	All civil servants and special advisors working in the Treasury are entitled to order a taxi through a departmental account in accordance with this policy subject to prior approval from management.

Departmental Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each year since 1997; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the largest 20 payments made in each such year.

David Gauke: Base pay was frozen for HM Treasury during 2010-11 and will be frozen again in 2011-12 in line with the Government's public sector pay freeze, except for those staff earning the full-time equivalent of £21,000 or less, who will receive payments of at least £250 in these years.
	Bonuses are paid in two circumstances: performance bonuses are those linked to the annual staff appraisal system and are paid in the year following the year in which the assessment of performance is made. Special bonuses are those paid to recognise specific contributions to pieces of work during the year. Information in the form requested on bonus payments since 2006-07 is shown in the following table. More comprehensive information than that shown in the table for years between 2002-03 and 2005-06 inclusive is not available within the disproportionate costs threshold. Information for years prior to 2002-03 is no longer available due to the introduction of a new accounting system in that year.
	
		
			  Bonus type  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Performance (£000) (1)627 612 846 846 
			 Special (£000) (1)- 92 126 121 
			  
			 Percentage of staff receiving a bonus 43 54 45 41 
			  
			 Largest award (£000) 6 10 14 18 
			 '-' = A brace. (1) The two types of bonus were not separately identified in 2002-03 so an aggregated figure is given for that year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Bonus type  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Performance (£000) 995 1,083 1,177 1,218 
			 Number of performance awards(1) 436 461 574 1,029 
			  
			 Special (£000) 108 177 208 98 
			 Number of special awards(1) 300 382 416 244 
			  
			 20 largest awards (£000) 15 22 20 15 
			  15 18 20 15 
			  15 16 17 15 
			  15 16 17 13 
			  15 15 17 13 
			  14 15 13 13 
			  12 15 13 13 
			  11 15 13 10 
			  10 15 13 10 
			  10 13 13 10 
			  10 11 13 10 
			  10 11 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			  10 10 13 10 
			 (1) Some staff may have received both types of bonus payment in a single financial year.

Economic and Monetary Union; EC Grants and Loans

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the agreement for the UK to contribute to the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism was concluded; which Minister in his Department signed it; what the date of that signature was; and from what date the provisions of the agreement took effect.

Mark Hoban: EU Finance Ministers agreed on contributions to the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism on 9 May 2010. The regulation was immediately binding on all member states the day after its publication in the  Official Journal of the European Union on 12 May 2010.

EU Grants and Loans: Republic of Ireland

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the members of the Economic and Financial Committee representing the UK have participated in discussions in that Committee on a mandate for the European Commission to negotiate a programme of support for the Republic of Ireland under the European Financial Stability Mechanism.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 23 November 2010
	 The UK participated in discussions in the Economic and Financial Committee on the financial assistance package for Ireland. This package included support through the European Financial Stability Mechanism.

European Financial Stability Mechanism

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal advice he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) received on the European Financial Stability Mechanism in relation to its application to the UK; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice he has received.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 7 December 2010
	The European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM) was created following agreement by a qualified majority of member states at the ECOFIN meeting on 9 May 2010. The terms of the EFSM are set out in EU Council Regulation No. 407/2010. Treasury Ministers received advice on this issue, including legal advice, as part of the process of policy development.

Personal Savings: Interest Payments

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to require banks to pay interest on cash ISA transfers from the date an application is received.

Mark Hoban: In response to a Super-Complaint from Consumer Focus, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published a report on the cash ISA market on 29 June 2010.
	As part of the OFT's report, they recommended that cash ISA providers should ensure that consumers receive interest on every day during a cash ISA transfer and that the FSA consider the case for taking action under the Banking Conduct of Business Sourcebook (BCOBS) or for amending the BCOBS rules or guidance if providers do not follow this approach.
	The British Bankers Association, Building Societies Association and Tax Incentivised Savings Association have agreed to publish revised industry guidance on cash ISA transfers. This is expected to be published shortly. It is also expected to include guidance on from what point providers should pay interest on cash ISA transfers.

Personal Savings: Interest Payments

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to require banks to provide customers with annual statements showing the interest rates received on savings deposits.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to increasing transparency in financial services as a means of improving customer outcomes. A number of steps have been taken recently to improve this.
	The banking industry has agreed to provide interest rates on cash ISA statements by 2012 at the latest, following a super-complaint by Consumer Focus to the Office of Fair Trading. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) also plans to consult shortly on a requirement for firms to show interest rates for most types of savings accounts.
	The FSA has also introduced improved transparency provisions, for example introducing a requirement to provide notice to consumers when an introductory or promotional rate of interest ends.

Public Sector: Employment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in the number of  (a) public and  (b) private sector jobs in Ashfield constituency in the period to 2015.

Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was formed in May 2010 to make an independent assessment of the public finances and the economy.
	On 29 November 2010, the OBR released the official forecast for total employment and general government employment, updated for the spending review announcements.
	As the OBR sets out in paragraph 3.98, page 62 of its November 2010 Economic and fiscal outlook (Cm 7979), it expects total employment to rise by 1.1 million over the next five years, from 29.0 million in 2010 to 30.1 million in 2015. General government employment is projected to fall by just over 400,000 between 2010-11 and 2015-16, more than offset by a rise in market sector employment of around 1.5 million.
	The OBR has not published forecasts at a sub-national level.

Revenue and Customs: Liverpool

Louise Ellman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans HM Revenue and Customs has for its building at Queens Dock, Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: During HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) Regional Review Programme between 2006 and 2008, it was decided to retain its building at Queens Dock, Liverpool. However, in November 2009 HMRC initiated a further review of its estate in Liverpool and is now considering a number of options arising from that review. Vacating the building at Queens Dock is the option that offers the greatest benefits to HMRC as well as substantial cost savings.
	No firm decision has yet been made. HMRC will now consider how to gain best value from all of its buildings in Liverpool ensuring that the needs of taxpayers are at the forefront of its considerations. Where opportunities arise, HMRC will also work with other Government Departments to develop sharing of buildings. Like other Departments, HMRC is considering the impact of the comprehensive spending review and expects to be able to announce the final decision about Liverpool in spring 2011.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of the estimated saving to the public purse arising from the implementation of the proposal in the June 2010 Budget to uprate pensions, benefits and tax credits by the Consumer Price Index which will be made in respect of  (a) public sector pensions and  (b) each main item of (i) benefit, (ii) tax credit and (iii) pension expenditure.

David Gauke: A breakdown of the savings for line 22 of table 2.1 of the June Budget is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 DWP pensioner benefits (GB) 310 525 830 1,190 
			 DWP disability benefits (GB) -20 130 375 660 
			 DWP working age benefits (GB) 340 420 530 650 
			 Benefits administered by Northern Ireland Executive 20 35 55 85 
			 Child benefit -35 60 220 370 
			 Tax credits 225 515 1,010 1,600 
			 Public service pensions 325 555 880 1,285 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £5 million, and may therefore not sum to the totals recorded in table 2.1 of the June Budget. 2. All figures are on a UK basis, unless stated otherwise. Costs are shown as negative.

Taxation: Business

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many completed court actions HM Revenue and Customs has taken against  (a) micro-businesses and  (b) small and medium-sized enterprises for arrears of payments in the last year for which figures are available; and how many such actions resulted in the bankruptcy of the enterprise concerned.

David Gauke: The information is not centrally collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Taxation: Business

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many communications received by HM Revenue and Customs from  (a) micro-businesses and  (b) small and medium-sized enterprises had not been responded to on 1 December 2010 .

David Gauke: HMRC does not collect this level of data.

Taxation: Business

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many communications HM Revenue and Customs received from  (a) micro-businesses and  (b) small and medium-sized enterprises on tax arrears in the last year for which figures are available; and what the average time taken was to respond to such communications.

David Gauke: The information requested is not centrally collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Wealth

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the proportion of gross financial wealth held in  (a) private pensions,  (b) ISAs, PEPs and TESSAs and  (c) other accounts for each decile of gross financial wealth.

Mark Hoban: The Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Wealth and Asset Survey (WAS) collects information on total wealth, including financial wealth and private pension wealth. This can be found at;
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=15074
	The survey shows that total wealth held in the UK was £9 trillion in 2006-08, the latest period for which data are available. Of this, 39% (£3.5 trillion) was held in private pension wealth, and 11% (£1 trillion) was held in financial wealth. Further details on asset breakdowns and other accounts can be obtained through the ONS.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Capita

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts his Department has with Capita; and how much it has paid to Capita under such contracts in 2010-11 to date.

Edward Davey: Central records indicate that the following amounts have been spent to date with Capita companies in the financial year 2010-11.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Capita 445 
			 Capita Business Services Ltd 350 
			 Capita Health Solutions Ltd 1,865 
			 Capita Resourcing Ltd 15,183 
			 Capita Resourcing Ltd t/a Veredus Interim Management 6,868 
		
	
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the funding allocated by his Department for research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) was spent on  (a) psychological research and  (b) research into the physical causes of ME in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The selection of projects for funding is determined through peer review.
	The MRC does not classify its research projects using the terms 'psychosocial' or 'research into the physical causes' so a breakdown of funding on this basis is not available. In the last 10 years, total MRC expenditure on research relating to CFS/ME was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2000/01 0 
			 2001/02 0 
			 2002/03 0 
			 2003/04 141,000 
			 2004/05 559,000 
			 2005/06 752,000 
			 2006/07 800,000 
			 2007/08 1,350,000 
			 2008/09 728,000 
			 2009/10 109,000 
		
	
	Projects included within these figures are as follows:
	Professor R K Morriss, University of Liverpool-Exploratory RCT of training General Practitioners to manage patients with persistent Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS)
	Professor P White, Queen Mary College, London-The PACE trial; A RCT of CBT, graded exercise, adaptive pacing and usual medical care for the chronic fatigue syndrome
	Dr A Wearden, University of Manchester-Randomised controlled trial of nurse led self-help treatment for primary care patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
	Dr K Bhui, Queen Mary College, London-Chronic Fatigue and Ethnicity
	Professor F H Creed, University of Manchester-The feasibility of a population based study of CFS, IBS and CWP
	Dr C Clark, Queen Mary College, London-General and specific risk markers and preventive factors for chronic fatigue and irritable bowel syndromes
	Further information about most of these projects can be found on the MRC's online research portfolio at:
	http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm

Conditions of Employment

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the terms of reference of his Department's review of arrangements for workplace rights compliance and enforcement;
	(2)  when he expects to conclude his Department's review of arrangements for workplace rights compliance and enforcement;
	(3)  whether he plans to hold a public consultation  (a) as part of and  (b) on the results of his Department's review of arrangements for workplace rights compliance and enforcement.

Edward Davey: holding answer 14 December 2010
	I intend to place a copy of the terms of reference for the review of the Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements in the Library shortly.
	The review will start in January, and conclude later in 2011. It is a part of a wider, rolling review of employment law being co-ordinated by my Department.
	The first phase of the compliance review will be carried out internally within Government, but involve meetings with key interested parties to solicit views and test initial thinking. Following the first phase BIS will publish a statement of findings and intended next steps in the context of a progress report on the wider employment law review.
	There will be a public consultation following the statement of initial findings if the nature and scale of any proposed changes makes this appropriate.

Debts: Advisory Services

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proposals his Department has considered to ensure that advice offered by providers of debt management plans meets standards adequate to prevent vulnerable consumers from being sold inappropriate products.

Edward Davey: All who provide debt management services are required to be licensed under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (the Act). Where the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has evidence of unfair practices, action can be taken to refuse or revoke or place conditions on the consumer credit licence of those concerned.
	The OFT's Debt Management Guidance (the Guidance) sets out minimum standards for debt management companies. Following a review of the extent to which debt management companies comply with this guidance, enforcement action was taken in 2010 against 129 of these companies.
	Work to update the Guidance and make the standards the OFT expects licensees to adhere to make sure the guidance addresses new developments in the market when providing debt advice is well underway and will be the subject of a public consultation in early 2011.

Debts: Developing Countries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 590-1W, on export credit guarantees, which of the Export Credits Guarantee Department recoveries from low and lower-middle income governments recouped since 2000 were  (a) recouped directly from the relevant government and  (b) recompensed from the Department for International Development under debt cancellation schemes.

Edward Davey: The answer of 22 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 590-1W, provided details of recoveries of debts owed to ECGD as a result of claims paid under issued guarantees and insurance policies. Interest that had accrued while such debts were outstanding was not included because of changes to ECGD's recording systems in 2005 which meant that it is not possible to report interest received market by market prior to 2005.
	The following table reports recoveries from low and lower middle income countries amounts from 2000/01 to 2004/05 without interest and from 2005/06 inclusive of interest received.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Prior to 2005/06  From 2005/06 
			 Angola 0.00 151.72 
			 Morocco 31.50 13.49 
			 Ecuador 0.00 35.82 
			 Egypt 19.60 76.40 
			 Indonesia 94.00 490.46 
			 Iraq 0.00 3.17 
			 Jordan 44.20 361.12 
			 Kenya 16.70 7.88 
			 Nigeria 129.10 1,735.12 
			 Pakistan 0.00 4.42 
			 Philippines 23.60 5.44 
			 Vietnam 0.0 4.89 
		
	
	In accordance with HMG debt policy since 2000, Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) have not been required to make any repayments owed to the UK. Amounts that fall due under debt agreements with HIPCs which cannot be written-off by ECGD for statutory reasons are paid to ECGD by the Department for International Development (DFID). Details of principal and interest paid by DFID to ECGD on behalf of the HIPCs since 2000 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Principal and interest paid by DFID to ECGD on behalf of the HIPCs since 2000 
			 Benin 1.9 
			 Bolivia 1.3 
			 Cameroon 24.7 
			 Congo DR 0.9 
			 Congo Rep 0.3 
			 Ethiopia 1.2 
			 Guinea Rep 0.1 
			 Guyana 11.2 
			 Madagascar 7.1 
			 Malawi 10.4 
			 Mali 0.2 
			 Mauritania 0.02 
			 Mozambique 7.0 
			 Niger 0.2 
			 Tanzania 19.0 
			 Uganda 0.4 
			 Yemen 3.3 
			 Zambia 3.8 
			  Note: The data include some amounts that were paid direct to HIPCs or in respect of the cancellation of old aid loans but such amounts are considered to be minimal.  Source: ECGD/DFID

Departmental Energy

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost was of  (a) electricity and  (b) gas supplied to his Department's offices at 1 Victoria Street in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: In the last 12 months, for which figures are available, the Department spent the following on electricity and gas at 1 Victoria street:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Electricity  Gas 
			 November 2009 55,095.02 6,469.11 
			 December 2009 42,821.16 10,227.04 
			 January 2010 44,991.53 24,402.89 
			 February 2010 42,395.66 13,949.79 
			 March 2010 47,334.83 10,276.96 
			 April 2010 41,230.88 4,819.80 
			 May 2010 43,539.43 3,500.10 
			 June 2010 45,099.84 2,228.54 
			 July 2010 49,003.87 1,799.09 
			 August 2010 49,770.32 2,278.66 
			 September 2010 48,524.94 3,370.36 
			 October 2010 47,855.76 4,967.08

Departmental Manpower

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in each age group his Department and its predecessors employed at each  (a) grade and  (b) location in (i) 1980, (ii) 1983, (iii) 1987, (iv) 1992, (v) 1997, (vi) 2001 and (vii) each year since 2005.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was created on Friday 5 June 2009 from the merger of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) which ceased to exist from that date.
	The following two tables show the numbers of staff in each age group by grade, and by location from the formation of BIS until the end of that financial year. Asterisks in the tables indicate that the number in that category is fewer than 10, and therefore, this figure has not been included to avoid any potential identification of individuals.
	Records are not held centrally for the predecessor Departments, but staffing information on the former BERR, DIUS and DTI Departments is available on the Office for National Statistics website, accessed via the following link:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/stats-archive/archived-reports.aspx
	
		
			  BIS staff in age group by location 5 June 2009-30 March 2010 
			  Age band  London  Sheffield  Cardiff  Other 
			 16-24 70 * * * 
			 25-29 267 10 * * 
			 30-34 349 30 * 15 
			 35-39 325 24 * 22 
			 40-44 506 58 * 31 
			 45.49 588 58 12 33 
			 50-54 462 63 10 46 
			 55-59 289 56 11 29 
			 60-64 147 12 * 32 
			 Over 65 25 * * 7 
		
	
	
		
			  BIS staff in age group by grade 5 June 2009-30 March 2010 
			   Grade 
			  Age band  AA  AO  EO  HEO  SEO  G7  G6  G5  SCS 
			 16-24 * * 38 38 * * * * * 
			 25-29 * 14 49 141 11 68 * * * 
			 30-34 * 15 40 115 47 133 35 13 * 
			 35-39 * 23 58 84 40 98 44 24 * 
			 40-44 * 57 115 145 76 105 63 33 * 
			 45.49 * 64 95 164 82 148 78 37 15 
			 50-54 * 55 78 104 94 125 77 28 17 
			 55-59 * 43 44 75 42 82 49 34 10 
			 60-64 * 38 22 37 21 21 22 * * 
			 Over 65 * * * 13 * * * * * 
			 * = Fewer than 10 staff

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value was of contracts between his Department and its predecessors and  (a) Post Office Ltd and  (b) Royal Mail in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) each year since 2004-05.

Edward Davey: The Departments Facilities Management Team did not have a contract with Post Office Ltd or Royal Mail in 1997-98.
	In April 2004 following an Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) competition contracts were awarded to; Royal Mail Group, to provide same day courier services and Parcelforce Worldwide, to provide next day/48-hour courier services to the Department.
	Expenditure on the Royal Mail Group contract to provide same day courier services:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 38,517 
			 2005-06 35,115 
			 2006-07 37,065 
			 2007-08 28,944 
			 2008-09 20,007 
			 2009-10 29,316 
		
	
	Expenditure on the Parcelforce Worldwide contract to provide next day/48-hour courier services:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 46,209 
			 2005-06 50,560 
			 2006-07 42,496 
			 2007-08 45,340 
			 2008-09 38,328 
			 2009-10 37,353

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what services provided by his Department and its predecessors were the subject of a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98 and have subsequently become the subject of a contract with another supplier; and what the monetary value was of each such contract in  (a) 1997-98 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available in each case.

Edward Davey: The Departments Facilities Management Team did not have a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98. Subsequently Royal Mail Group and Parcelforce Worldwide held courier contracts.
	Since our current courier contract, with TNT UK Ltd, started in January 2010 the Department has spent:
	
		
			   £ 
			 January-March 2010 5,324 
			 April-October 2010 17,090

Employment Law

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to review the effectiveness of employment law.

Edward Davey: Earlier this year the Government announced a Whitehall wide review of employment laws. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is coordinating this review across Government and all relevant departments that have a responsibility for developing, administering or enforcing employment law will be considering their areas of responsibility.
	We are considering employment regulations area by area, over the long term, and have started to engage with interested parties as part of the review process. We have already set out that, as part of the Growth agenda, we want to make it easier for businesses to take on staff. To contribute to that, we will be launching improved web based tools on businesslink.gov to bring together help for employers taking on new employees.
	The Government aim to ensure that employment laws provide the maximum flexibility for both employers and employees, within a competitive business environment without compromising fairness. We expect to make an announcement on progress in the new year.

Financial Services

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether his Department's review of consumer credit will assess the merits of use of a total cost of borrowing figure instead of an annual percentage rate as a measure of the value of a loan for consumers;
	(2)  if he will recommend to companies providing short-term loans that they display a total cost of borrowing for their customers instead of an annual percentage rate.

Edward Davey: Companies advertising credit products are required by regulations implementing the Consumer Credit Directive to display standard information about the cost of their loans, including a representative APR, in their advertisements where the advertisement contains an interest rate or an amount relating to the cost of the credit.
	As part of the review of Consumer Credit and Personal Insolvency, BIS and HM Treasury issued a joint call for evidence in October. The call for evidence closed on 10 December and while it did not ask specifically for evidence on displaying the total cost of credit rather than an APR figure, a number of responses have highlighted it as a way of making it easier for consumers to calculate how much a loan will cost them.
	This issue, as well as all the others raised, are being considered as part of the review.

Higher Education: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education in respect of the number of countries in the OECD who propose to reduce public expenditure on higher education; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: There have been no recent discussions between the two Secretaries of State on this subject.

Higher Education: Finance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to provide targeted funding to enable teachers and health and social care professionals to enhance their skills through higher level studies.

David Willetts: We have set out our proposals that in future funding for higher education should largely follow the choices made by students rather than by direct grants. However, we have also recognised that high cost courses such as medicine should continue to receive such support in addition to fee income. In addition we recognise that there are lower cost subjects which are strategically important or vulnerable and also require some continuing support. We will set out priorities for residual grant in the forthcoming higher education white paper.
	The funding of higher level continuing professional development for education and health employees is a matter for the Departments of Education and of Health respectively.

Insolvency

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) compulsory and  (b) creditor voluntary liquidations commenced in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: holding answer 14 December 2010
	Annual totals for both compulsory and creditors' voluntary liquidations in England and Wales are presented in Table 1 of the Quarterly Insolvency Statistics, the latest publication of which can be found on the Insolvency Service website here:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/201011/table1.pdf
	Quarter 4 figures for 2010 will be available in the next release of the Insolvency Statistics on 4 February 2011.
	Policy responsibility for liquidation in Scotland and Northern Ireland lies within the devolved administrations. However, some information on these insolvencies is published in the Quarterly Insolvency Statistics on behalf of the devolved administrations, and may be found here:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/201011/table4.pdf
	(Scotland) and
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/201011/table6.pdf
	(Northern Ireland).

Insolvency

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many liquidations which commenced  (a) five,  (b) 10,  (c) 15 and  (d) 20 or more years ago have not yet been finalised.

Edward Davey: holding answer 14 December 2010
	This information cannot be provided for all liquidations because the costs of retrieving it are disproportionate.
	According to the case database maintained by the Insolvency Service, there are:
	82 compulsory liquidations where the insolvency order was made five or more years ago;
	15 compulsory liquidations where the insolvency order was made 10 or more years ago;
	11 compulsory liquidations where the insolvency order was made 15 or more years ago;
	No compulsory liquidations where the insolvency order was made 20 or more years ago where the Official Receiver has not applied for release as liquidator.

Insolvency

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many firms went into liquidation in each of the last 12 months.

Edward Davey: Information on the number of liquidations in England and Wales in each of the 12 months ending September 2010 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Liquidations in England and Wales 
			   Compulsory liquidation( 1)  Creditors' voluntary liquidation( 2, 3) 
			 October 2009 450 936 
			 November 2009 489 1,066 
			 December 2009 376 1,028 
			 January 2010 425 748 
			 February 2010 372 979 
			 March 2010 533 1,139 
			 April 2010 408 1,094 
			 May 2010 395 872 
			 June 2010 382 943 
			 July 2010 468 929 
			 August 2010 293 995 
			 September 2010 321 875 
			 (1) Source-Insolvency Service (2) Source-Companies House (3) Not including those following administration 
		
	
	Figures after September are not available until after the publication of the Official Insolvency Statistics for quarter 4 on Friday 4 February 2011.
	Policy responsibility for liquidation in Scotland and Northern Ireland lies within the devolved Administrations.

Insolvency Service

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to review the governance arrangements for the Insolvency Service.

Edward Davey: holding answer 14 December 2010
	The Department is looking at the governance arrangements for all its partner organisations, including the Insolvency Service, with a view to having an updated governance framework in place for the new financial year. This work is being undertaken in the light of a number of factors, including the spending review settlement; the introduction across Government of spending controls such as those on pay and recruitment and on spending on marketing and advertising, IT, consultancy, estates; and the requirement to consolidate an increased number of partner organisation financial statements from 2011-12.

Intellectual Property and Growth Review

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria were used to select members of the panel of experts for the Intellectual Property and Growth Review.

Edward Davey: The members of the independent panel which will advise Professor Ian Hargreaves have been selected in order to equip the review with a range of relevant expertise, including in business, innovation, economics and aspects of intellectual property.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects each of the proposed local enterprise partnerships to be fully operational.

Mark Prisk: To date 27 local enterprise partnerships have met the Government's expectations and have been asked to put their governance arrangements in place. Other partnerships continue to develop their proposals so they can be in a similar position. We will continue to engage with both groups of partnerships at a speed that is appropriate for them.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what processes he will put in place to ensure effective communication between his Department and each local enterprise partnership.

Mark Prisk: Both this Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government are committed to working with each new local enterprise partnership to enable them to establish their roles and functions. As set out in the White Paper on Local Growth the Government will enter into a discussion with partnerships about delivering the economic vision for their area. Partnerships will differ across the country in both form and functions in order to best meet local circumstances and opportunities. As such there will be no one process for this engagement.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place a duty on local enterprise partnerships to co-operate with each other.

Mark Prisk: In the White Paper on "Local Growth" we encourage cooperation between partnerships where this would result in a more efficient use of resources and secure a better outcome than operating in isolation. This cooperation need not be restricted to neighbouring partnerships and will be particularly important where partnerships share a common interest. We will not be prescriptive how this cooperation is achieved; local enterprise partnerships are not Government bodies and are being developed from the bottom up.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects each proposed local enterprise partnership in the North East to be operational; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Tees Valley partnership has already been invited to develop their board and the other partnerships in the North East who put forward outline proposals have agreed to work together to form a single partnership; we are currently waiting for this new proposal to be submitted. It is for partnerships to work at a speed that is appropriate for them.

Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many non-EU students progressed from studying at general further education colleges to higher education institutes in the UK in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Willetts: holding answer 9 December 2010
	Information on the previous school type of non-EU domiciled higher education students is not currently available.

Postgraduate Education: Fees and Charges

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the higher fees for undergraduates on the take-up of postgraduate studies.

David Willetts: Lord Browne did not recommend any changes to the funding of postgraduate education but did recommend that participation in postgraduate study should be monitored to identify whether changes to the undergraduate funding and finance system have any effect on entry to postgraduate courses. We have committed to do so.

Postgraduate Education: Fees and Charges

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what arrangements he intends to put in place to monitor the effects of higher undergraduate fees on the take-up of postgraduate studies.

David Willetts: The Government will monitor participation in postgraduate study to identify whether changes to the undergraduate funding and finance system have any effect on entry to postgraduate courses.
	The Government are committed to Britain being a world leading place to do research. The science and research budget will be maintained in cash terms over the spending review period with resource spending of £4.6 billion a year by 2014-15. We will ring-fence that budget to ensure continuity of investment in science and research.

Postgraduate Education: Finance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to introduce reductions in spending on the funding of postgraduate provision.

David Willetts: We will publish the "Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE)" grant letter for 2011-12 shortly. It is for the council to determine how that resource should be allocated. The new system of higher education funding whereby funding will flow through the choices made by students rather than direct grants will be phased in from 2012-13. We will set our priorities for residual grant, including for taught postgraduate provision and our response to the postgraduate review in the forthcoming higher education white paper. Research postgraduate provision is not directly affected by our proposed reforms.

Regional Growth Fund

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times the independent group chaired by Lord Heseltine to consider bids for funding from the regional growth fund has met.

Mark Prisk: The independent Advisory Panel chaired by my noble friend Lord Heseltine has not yet met. The first round of bids are required to be received by 21 January 2011.

Regional Growth Fund

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what budget has been allocated for the Regional Growth Fund in 2011-12.

Mark Prisk: The Regional Growth Fund budget for 2011-12 is £495 million.

Regional Growth Fund

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether funding for the Regional Growth Fund will be drawn from the budget allocated for regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: Funding for the Regional Growth Fund has come from the Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Transport and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. No funding has come from the RDAs.

Regional Growth Fund

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the funding from the Regional Growth Fund he expects to be available for each region in each year of the spending review period.

Mark Prisk: The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) will not be distributed by region. The RGF is a challenge fund that is open to bids from all parts of England, the amount an area receives will depend on the strength of its bids in addressing the Fund's core objectives:
	To encourage private sector enterprise by providing support for projects with significant potential for economic growth and create additional sustainable private sector employment; and
	To support in particular those areas and communities that are currently dependent on the public sector make the transition to sustainable private sector led growth and prosperity.

Royal Mail: Belfast

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will request Royal Mail not to close the mail sorting office in Belfast.

Edward Davey: Decisions relating to the Belfast mail centre are an operational matter for Royal Mail's senior management team. Government do not play a role in such decisions.
	Royal Mail has informed me that it currently has no plans to close the mail centre in Belfast.

Royal Mail: Weather

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when Royal Mail plans to restore its guarantee to deliver special delivery items by 1.00 pm the next day  (a) nationwide and  (b) in parts of the UK which are presently free of snow; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: holding answer 14 December 2010
	The operation of Royal Mail's special delivery service is matter for its senior management team and Government do not play a role in decisions regarding the service.
	I understand from Royal Mail that the restoration of the guarantee is under daily review and that it will restore the guarantee as soon as it can be sure that it can honour the service promise in full. The company recognises that this product carries a guarantee, which it takes seriously, but currently it cannot guarantee the service promise for all items in every part of the UK. However, it continues to accept, prioritise and in most cases, deliver special delivery items to specification.
	Regular service updates can be found on Royal Mail's website:
	http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm

Student Loans Company

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the borrowing limit is for the Student Loans Company; and whether he has plans to review that limit;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the  (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and  (b) Student Loans Company (SLC) on the effect on the financing requirements of the SLC of raising the cap on tuition fees;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the net borrowing requirement of the Student Loans Company in each year from 2011-12 to 2024-25.

David Willetts: The costs to Government of student loans are borne by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), rather than the Student Loans Company (SLC), and so the borrowing capacity of SLC is not significant.
	Raising the cap on graduate contributions will increase the value of loans that Government makes to students and thereby increase Government's initial cash outlay. In the spending review period the full-time student tuition fee loan outlay is estimated to be £3.5 billion in 2012-13, £5 billion in 2013-14 and £6 billion in 2014-15.
	The cash outlay does not represent a cost to Government as it is provided to students in the form of loans which will be repaid, therefore the long term costs of student loans are shared between high-earning graduates who can afford to repay them and the Exchequer.
	The effect of the proposed Higher Education reforms are included in an interim Impact Assessment, which has been published and is available on BIS's website:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/higher-education/docs/i/10-1309-interim-impact-assessment-he-funding-and-student-finance.pdf
	The costs are indicative and will be met by the Department as part of the spending review settlement as agreed with the Treasury. No estimates have been made beyond 2015.

Students: Fees and Charges

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of the implementation of his proposals on tuition fees on colleges of music and conservatoires.

David Willetts: holding answer 13 December 2010
	 Our proposals for a fairer and more progressive higher education funding system will mean that the most successful and popular institutions should be able to flourish in the new environment. Colleges of music and conservatoires offer courses which are very popular with students and so we expect them to be in a strong position to be able to attract the fee income to offset any reductions in grants from the Funding Council. Many of these institutions receive additional funding from the Funding Council to account for their small size or specialist nature, which are not recognised through the mainstream funding formula. While it is for the Funding Council to make decisions on grant allocations the Government will set out their priorities for continuing grant in the forthcoming grant letter to HEFCE and the higher education White Paper. It will be our priority that in putting the new funding system in place we do not weaken those institutions with a world class reputation for the arts and music.

Students: Grants

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people in each London borough received the full means-tested university maintenance grant in each of the last four years.

David Willetts: The number of eligible applicants who were awarded the full higher education maintenance grant in each London borough in the last four years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Full grant for maintenance-London boroughs( 1) 
			   Academic year( 2) 
			   2006/07  2007/08  2008/09  2009/10 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,160 1,270 1,700 2,010 
			 Barnet 2,370 2,740 3,060 3,290 
			 Bexley 800 930 1,110 1,330 
			 Brent 2,420 2,710 2,930 3,370 
			 Bromley 1,080 1,180 1,420 1,650 
			 Camden 1,730 1,850 2,020 1,940 
			 City of London 40 40 40 30 
			 Croydon 2,010 2,400 2,990 3,420 
			 Ealing 2,520 2,870 3,230 3,390 
			 Enfield 2,040 2,410 2,880 3,200 
			 Greenwich 1,580 1,810 2,230 2,400 
			 Hackney 2,420 2,590 2,860 3,150 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,140 1,330 1,460 1,490 
			 Haringey 2,210 2,630 2,920 3,120 
			 Harrow 1,690 2,040 2,280 2,550 
			 Havering 680 820 950 1,120 
			 Hillingdon 1,150 1,390 1,700 1,870 
			 Hounslow 1,260 1,480 1,670 1,920 
			 Islington 1,780 1,980 2,200 2,280 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 860 940 980 990 
			 Kingston upon Thames 760 830 910 1,100 
			 Lambeth 2,480 2,910 3,270 3,520 
			 Lewisham 2,180 2,540 3,040 3,200 
			 Merton 980 1,160 1,450 1,570 
			 Newham 3,480 3,850 4,490 4,770 
			 Redbridge 2,010 2,280 2,770 3,140 
			 Richmond upon Thames 740 870 980 1,050 
			 Southwark 2,490 2,800 3,000 3,350 
			 Sutton 580 700 900 1,110 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,870 3,170 3,420 3,310 
			 Waltham Forest 2,130 2,490 2,910 2,970 
			 Wandsworth 1,640 1,810 2,080 2,180 
			 Westminster 1,250 1,420 1,580 1,730 
			 Total 54,530 62,240 71,430 77,520 
			 (1) Approved applicants awarded a full maintenance grant or a special support grant in each London borough. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Figures for academic years 2006/07 to 2008/09 are as at 15 November 2009. Figures for academic year 2009/10 are as at 14 November 2010.  Source: Student Loans Company

Students: Grants

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of applications for higher education maintenance grants were successful in the last three years.

David Willetts: The proportion of eligible applicants for a higher education maintenance grant who were awarded a full or partial maintenance grant in the last three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Distribution of maintenance grants( 1)  to applicants domiciled in England 
			Percentage of applicants in each academic year 
			  Entry cohort   2007/08  2008/09  2009/10 
			 2006 and 2007 entry cohort Full grant 34 34 34 
			  Partial grant 23 21 18 
			  Nil grant(2) 43 45 48 
			  Total 100 100 100 
			  
			 2008 entry cohort Full grant n/a 42 43 
			  Partial grant n/a 29 28 
			  Nil grant(2) n/a 29 29 
			  Total n/a 100 100 
			  
			 2009 and 2010 entry cohort Full grant n/a n/a 40 
			  Partial grant n/a n/a 22 
			  Nil grant(2) n/a n/a 38 
			  Total n/a n/a 100 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) Includes special support grant, excludes those who received an NHS bursary. (2) Not awarded a grant because their household residual income is greater than the threshold to receive a grant, or they have not supplied income information. Eligible applicants may receive other forms of support.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Figures are shown by entry cohort because there have been changes to earnings thresholds which have affected the distribution.

Students: Loans

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average time taken by the Student Loans Company to process loan applications was in the last year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Student Loans Company took an average of 9.9 weeks in academic year 2010/11 to process student finance applications that it manages for new and continuing students who started their course in or after September 2010. This is an improvement of 2.2 weeks on academic year 2009/10. The processing time includes time when the application is with the applicant and, therefore, cannot be progressed by the company, for example, when the company is awaiting missing evidence or when it is awaiting from the student a declaration form accepting the terms of the loan. Student finance applications include request for both loans and grants.

Teachers: Training

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what effects he expects the new funding arrangements to have on initial school teacher training provision currently funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools; and what effects he expects these arrangements to have on the initial teacher training for further education teachers currently funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

David Willetts: The schools White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", makes clear the Government's commitment to continuing improvement in the quality of teachers in schools, including attracting more high quality graduates into teaching. Arrangements for funding schools initial teacher training (ITT) will further this ambition. The Department for Education will publish detail of funding for ITT for the 2012/13 academic year early in 2011. With regard to ITT for further education, discussions are currently taking place with the Association of Colleges and other stakeholders. The Government's plans for initial teaching training for FE teachers and lecturers currently funded through the Higher Education Funding Council, will be set out in the forthcoming higher education White Paper.

Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responsibilities his Department has for the development of technical standards for industry; and in which fora of technical standards development his Department participates.

David Willetts: holding answer 13 December 2010
	 The Department appoints and sponsors, BSI British Standards as the UK's National Standards Body. Through BSI, the Department funds the development of standards in new and emerging technological areas including nanotechnology, regenerative medicine and biometrics. BSI also play an important role as the UK member of the International Standards Organisation and of the European standardisation bodies working to agree standards which significantly contribute to enhancing the UK's economic performance.
	My officials also participate in the development of standards as members of technical committees across a broad range of industrial sectors.

Technology Strategy Board: Local Enterprise Partnerships

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what means the Technology Strategy Board plans to liaise with local enterprise partnerships to facilitate innovation support.

David Willetts: Local enterprise partnerships will not have a formal role in providing direct incentives to enable technology innovation by business. This will simplify the way in which companies seek and receive support for technology based innovation, as they will deal directly with the Technology Strategy Board.
	The Technology Strategy Board will work with those local enterprise partnerships that can demonstrably help the Technology Strategy Board extend its reach and engage with innovative businesses.

Work Experience: Social Security Benefits

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the extension of eligibility for jobseeker benefits to graduates on unpaid work placements.

David Willetts: I met the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), on 23 September when we discussed a range of cross-cutting issues, including graduate unemployment.
	As part of the coalition Government's Get Britain Working programme, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is amending jobseeker's allowance (JSA) regulations to allow claimants to participate in work experience for up to eight weeks. This will be available to 18 to 21-year-olds from January 2011 and in April DWP will consider initial take up of this option with a view to extending to all JSA customers from June 2011.

CABINET OFFICE

British Overseas Territories

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what duties there are on the Government to carry out impact assessments of legislation on British Overseas Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: I have been asked to reply.
	Where the Government are legislating for one or more Overseas Territory by UK primary legislation or by Order in Council, the same rules relating to impact assessments apply as apply when the Government are legislating for the United Kingdom. However, as legislation applicable in the Overseas Territories rarely, if ever, has any effect on the UK public, private or voluntary sector, an impact assessment is not usually required to be prepared for such legislation. Where an Overseas Territory legislature passes legislation for that territory, there is no requirement for the Government to carry out an impact assessment.

Charities

Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will bring forward proposals to repeal the requirement for charities to provide a public notice for street collections as required by the Police, Factories etc (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916 as amended by section 251 and section 29 of the Local Government Act 1972.

Nick Hurd: There will be a review of charity legislation next year, which will include looking at the way charity collections are regulated with a view to making it easier for charities whilst protecting public confidence and deterring bogus collections and nuisance. This review will look at the red tape which we're keen to remove in order to enable charities to get on with their vital work without bureaucratic, time-consuming and unnecessary interference.

Third Sector: Finance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will extend the duration of his Department's transition fund for charities, groups and social enterprises.

Nick Hurd: The transition fund is a short-term fund intended to provide charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises with the breathing space they need to adjust to the new spending environment. It is a chance to review the ways they are working and prepare for a future where there will be more opportunities to engage with public service. The transition fund application window is from 30 November 2010 to 21 January 2011 and grants must be spent by 31 March 2012. We have no plans to extend the duration of the fund.

Third Sector: Local Government

Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department plans to provide guidance to local authorities on the potential of working with  (a) charities,  (b) voluntary groups and  (c) social enterprises to reduce the adverse effects of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review on the provision of local authority services.

Nick Hurd: Guidance to local authorities is a matter for the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Spending decisions are, and will continue to be, a matter for local authorities, and we do not intend to place restrictions on any decisions they, or their representative organisations, might make on funding, including grants to the voluntary sector. We and local authorities recognise the rich diversity of voluntary and community groups and their potential for delivering what people want. We do not expect authorities to respond to reductions in their budgets by passing on disproportionate cuts to other service providers, especially the voluntary sector.
	The Cabinet Office works to support charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises engage with government at all levels, and to help them participate in building the Big Society. To this end, Cabinet Office has published 'Better Together', a series of case studies in conjunction with NAVCA, accompanied by analysis of the exposure of the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to reductions in local expenditure.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Cala Homes

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has taken external legal advice in respect of the cases which Cala Homes have brought against him.

Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to her on 29 November,  Official Report, column 474W.
	The legal action has necessarily required expenditure on legal services on the Cala Homes cases and the many legal cases that the Government have inherited from the last Administration.

Cala Homes

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent to date on  (a) legal advice,  (b) court costs and  (c) other related costs regarding the judicial review sought by Cala Homes.

Greg Clark: The issue of costs is currently before the Court.

Community Development: Business

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce his plans for the future of the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative.

Bob Neill: The spending review announced that the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative would end in March 2011. Given the overriding need to reduce the deficit we could not extend the fund. We are providing local authorities with new powers, tools and incentives to drive forward regeneration and local growth as outlined in the Government's Local Growth White Paper.
	I would note that the March 2010 Budget announced plans for cuts to the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative.

Council Tax

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to allocate funding to local authorities for the purpose of a council tax freeze; and how much of the equivalent of a 2.5 per cent. increase in council tax he plans to allocate to local authorities for that purpose in each year of the spending review period.

Bob Neill: The Government announced in the spending review that it is making an extra £650 million available to deliver on its promise to help local authorities, including police and fire authorities, deliver a council tax freeze in England in 2011-12. The spending review also commits to providing authorities with additional funding in future years to 'lock in' the benefits of the freeze. Full details of the scheme were set out in a written ministerial statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 21 October,  Official Report, column 58-59WS.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many invoices his Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: The number of invoices processed by DCLG in the last 12 months for which figures are available (December 2009 to November 2010) is 42,158.
	I would also direct my hon. Friend to the Department's website which published our spending over £500 from 2008-09 onwards.

Departmental Legal Opinion

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on external legal advice since 12 May 2010.

Bob Neill: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson), on 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 52W.
	According to departmental records in the month of November £430,804 was spent on external legal services giving a total for the period between 12 May and 30 November 2010 of £1,485,166. As I indicated in the previous answer, this compares to a comparable spend of £4.8 million in 2009-10, and the new Government inherited significant ongoing legal issues from the last administration.

East London Mosque

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding from the public purse his Department and its agencies provided to the East London Mosque and its associated bodies in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; and for what purpose the funding was provided in each case.

Andrew Stunell: Development support to the value of £3,600 was given to the East London Mosque Trust Ltd in 2009-10 from the Department for Communities and Local Government's Communitybuilders Programme. This was used to review the financial management, business model, organisational development and social return of their multi-purpose community hub. This programme is administered by the national partner, the Adventure Capital Fund.
	DCLG also provided the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre with £47,000 through the Faith Communities Capacity building Fund between January 2006 and March 2007. This funding helped the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre improve its internal processes, enabling it to become more efficient, transparent and accountable.

Electrical Safety

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to  (a) encourage installation of residual current devices in domestic properties and  (b) promote the contribution to safety of such devices.

Andrew Stunell: The Department recognises the benefits that residual current devices can provide in preventing electrocutions and electrical fires. Whenever electrical installation work is carried out in new and existing dwellings, Part P of the Building Regulations (Electrical safety in dwellings) already calls for residual current devices to be fitted in accordance with the rules in British Standard BS 7671, 'Requirements for electrical installations', or an equivalent standard. All electricians registered with Building Regulations Competent Person Schemes must comply with BS 7671.
	The Department has started a review of the Building Regulations which began by identifying the changes that will ensure the regulations, including Part P, are proportionate and remain fit-for-purpose. We will be making a statement shortly on plans to consult fully on a set of detailed proposals for implementation in 2013.
	The Department's Fire Kills campaign works in partnership with the Electrical Safety Council to promote key electrical fire safety messages. As part of this year's media and awareness activity, the Fire Kills campaign will be arranging and co-ordinating the inaugural Electrical Fire Safety Week, which will run from 24 to 30 January. A key element of the week will be to promote the potential life safety benefits of residual current devices to householders.

Empty Property: Demolition

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many empty or unfit properties were demolished with funding from his Department in each year between 1997-98 and 2009-10;
	(2)  what funding his Department has provided for demolition of empty or unfit properties in each year between 1997-98 and 2009-10.

Grant Shapps: This information is not collected in the form requested.

First Time Buyers: Mortgages

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many first-time buyers purchased a home with a mortgage in each month from January to December 2010.

Andrew Stunell: According to data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, on average, 16,750 mortgages were advanced to first time buyers each month between January and October 2010. Figures for November and December 2010 are not currently available. The total number of mortgages taken out in 2010 by first time buyers (FTBs) is expected to be close to the 2009 total of 199,000.

Greater London Authority: Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce his plans for the future of the GLA  (a) Capital and  (b) Revenue Grant.

Bob Neill: Following the Local Government Finance Settlement announced on 13 December, the Secretary of State is now consulting the Mayor of London on a determination figure for the General GLA Grant of £54.969 million in 2011-12. This figure includes £9.5 million revenue funding for the London Waste and Recycling Board from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which will be incorporated in the grant.

Green Belt

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing developments were permitted on green belt land in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08,  (c) 2008-09 and  (d) 2009-10; and how many hectares of green belt land were affected by such developments in each such year.

Bob Neill: Information is not held centrally on the number of housing developments permitted on the green belt. The regional spatial strategies published by the last Government also put the Green Belt at risk in over 30 towns and areas across England.
	The Department's Land Use Change Statistics provide estimates for England of the proportion of new dwellings built within the green belt and the associated area of land developed.
	The following table shows the estimates for dwellings and areas of land for each calendar year from 2006 to 2009.
	
		
			  Permanent dwellings completed within designated green belt, England 
			   New dwellings built within the green belt (percentage)  Land changing to residential use within green belt (hectares) 
			 2006 2 220 
			 2007 2 n/a 
			 2008 2 n/a 
			 2009(1) 2 n/a 
			 (1) Provisional  Source: Land Use Change Statistics 
		
	
	Estimates for land area changing to residential use within green belt are available only up to 2006.

Homelessness: Rochdale

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) short-term and  (b) long-term effects on levels of homelessness in Rochdale of his Department's spending reductions;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the incidence of antisocial behaviour in Rochdale of his Department's spending plans for homelessness services.

Grant Shapps: This Government are committed to preventing homelessness, and to tackling antisocial behaviour in all its forms.
	We have protected Homelessness Grant funding, with £400 million over the spending review period. This will be made available to local authorities and the voluntary sector to support their work to tackle homelessness. We have made an additional £190 million available for discretionary housing payments and other forms of practical support alongside the Government's package of welfare reform measures. We have also minimised reductions to the Supporting People programme with £6.5 billion investment secured over the next four years.
	Detailed allocations for local authorities were published on 13 December as part of the provisional local government settlement. It will be for local authorities to determine their spending priorities taking account of local circumstances. The Department for Communities and Local Government has not produced any estimates of the potential impacts of these decisions in Rochdale.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my letter of 20 October 2010 on the spending review's settlement for housing, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	I am committed to looking again at how we can make it easier for both landlords and tenants to tackle antisocial behaviour more effectively and ensure that we get the correct balance between the rights of someone faced with losing their home and victims of unacceptable behaviour.

Housing: Construction

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the New Homes Bonus will be retained by district authorities in two-tier areas.

Grant Shapps: We are currently consulting on our proposals to implement the New Homes Bonus. Under the proposals district authorities in two tier areas will receive 80% of the bonus, with 20% going to the county. The intention is to provide a powerful fiscal incentive that will ensure that those areas which go for housing growth receive the economic benefits of growth.

Housing: Construction

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the number of proposed  (a) housing developments and  (b) domestic dwellings with planning permission which have been cancelled since 6 May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Department has not made any estimates of the number of proposed housing developments or domestic dwellings with planning permission which have been cancelled since 6 May 2010. Once granted, planning permission is a given unless the time limits for its implementation expire; it is possible for permission to be revoked in certain circumstances, but this is exceptionally rare, and is not something that the Department maintains statistics on.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many private dwellings received Government grants towards improving their  (a) condition and  (b) thermal properties between 1997-98 and 2009-10.

Grant Shapps: This information is not collected in the form requested.

Housing: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010,  Official Report, column 90W, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness in raising standards of housing of legislation passed in the period between 1997 and 2010; and what steps he has taken to improve housing standards and protect the rights of tenants.

Andrew Stunell: This Government are satisfied that the current legislation achieves the right balance between the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The previous Administration had extensive plans for the further regulation of private sector landlords, including a proposal to introduce a national register for landlords. The Government have no plans to implement those proposals as imposing new regulatory requirements on private landlords would be likely to lead to a reduction in the numbers of properties to rent, which would not help tenants or landlords. Of course, local authorities already have access to a comprehensive package of powers to deal with houses in multiple occupation and tackle the minority of rogue landlords that provide a poor service to tenants.
	The new Government have also made it easier for landlords letting larger properties by removing the blanket requirement introduced by the previous Administration for planning permission to change use from a family house to a small house in multiple occupation. Such changes of use can now take place freely without the need for planning applications unless there are local concerns about such development. In such cases, local planning authorities can use existing powers to remove this freedom of movement and require planning applications for such changes of use should they consider this appropriate for their areas.
	The Government do, however, believe that more can be done to raise the energy efficiency of the existing stock and recently announced measures through the Green Deal which will help raise housing standards in this respect. Further information with regard to this announcement can be viewed on the Department for Climate Change website.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from which local authorities he has received expressions of concern regarding the distribution and composition of local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: We received sixty two proposals for local enterprise partnerships. We have asked twenty seven local enterprise partnerships to proceed towards the establishment of their board. Together, these partnerships cover about 67% of England's population. Separately, the department is also in communication with those partnerships that were not asked to proceed with their proposal. We will continue to work with them as they seek to further develop their proposals and will endeavour to address any issues of concern which are raised. We will welcome revised proposals from such places as they become ready.

Local Government Finance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the likely change in numbers of  (a) personal injuries and  (b) personal injury claims attributable to reductions in local authority budgets for (i) road and pavement maintenance and (ii) building repairs over the spending review period.

Bob Neill: Local authorities are independent bodies who are directly accountable to their electorates. It is for them to decide how to spend their budgets, taking account of their responsibilities and duties. This Government have given them more freedom to do so, by ending ring-fencing of all revenue grants from 2011-12, except simplified school grants, and a new Public Health Grant from 2013. We have also significantly streamlined grant funding, by rolling around £4 billion of grants in 2010-11 into the unhypothecated formula grant and reducing grants for local government from over 90 to fewer than 10.
	No assessment has been made about the effect on road accidents that may result from changes to funding related to local transport including for road maintenance The Government continues to provide substantial funding for local transport, including for road safety.

Local Government: Cooperation

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to relax the requirements for councils to report separately on trading standards, licensing and environmental health issues in respect of councils operating shared services.

Bob Neill: The Government have removed the top down local performance framework, and we are working with local government to develop a single comprehensive list of all data returns required by central Government Departments, arms length bodies and national regulators. The list will highlight areas where there may be possibilities for further rationalisation of reporting requirements.
	The Department of Communities and Local Government is working with other Government Departments and the Local Better Regulation Organisation to review, reduce and rationalise the data requests from central Government and national regulators to local government. The requirement to report on environmental health issues and trading standards licensing will be included in these reviews.
	The Government are also working with the Local Government Group on its Place Based Productivity programme. This programme is exploring, amongst other things, a wide range of potential shared service models, identifying the conditions for success as well as the barriers to the expansion of shared services. Further details can be found on the Local Government Group website:
	http://local.gov.uk/lgv2/core/page.do?pageld=824307

Local Government: Information Officers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the number of press officers employed by local authorities in areas where two tiers of local government operate.

Bob Neill: It is for each council to decide the composition of its workforce, and we have no plans to make such estimates. However, as outlined in my Department's press notice of 4 June 2010, we want to see greater transparency on job descriptions and job vacancies in local government.

Mayors: Referendums

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost in respect of each constituency of holding a mayoral referendum on a day other than an election day;
	(2)  whether he plans to apply a minimum turnout percentage for the result of a mayoral referendum to be valid.

Bob Neill: My Department estimates that the cost to each local authority of holding a mayoral referendum on a day other than an election day would be around £1.50 per local government elector in the authority's area. As outlined in the Department's business plan, we intend to hold mayoral referendums in England's 12 largest cities in May 2012.
	We have no plans to introduce a minimum turnout percentage for the result of such a referendum to be upheld.

Planning

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when Ministers in his Department last met representatives of Planning Aid.

Greg Clark: holding answer 14 December 2010
	Ministers and officials regularly meet members and officers of the Royal Town Planning Institute, which Planning Aid is a part of, and will be having further meetings shortly.

Planning

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects to announce the funding arrangements to support implementation of his proposals on neighbourhood planning;
	(2)  if he will provide funding to local authority planning departments to ensure they have sufficient staff with the appropriate range of skills to manage implementation and administration of the Government's proposals on neighbourhood planning.

Greg Clark: Funding for local authorities on Neighbourhood Planning is subject to the final outcome of the spending review process. I expect to make further announcements in due course. We have however announced details of funding for neighbourhood planning vanguards, and I am placing the associated departmental web page in the Library of the House.

Planning

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities will be entitled to assist with  (a) consultations and  (b) other preparations for the formulation of neighbourhood plans.

Greg Clark: The local planning authority will be entitled to assist bodies preparing neighbourhood plans.
	Local authorities will also, where appropriate, arrange for the independent examination and referendum in relation to proposed plans and orders.

Planning

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with what powers he proposes to enable local communities to determine applications for new wind farms;
	(2)  what powers he proposes to give to communities to determine permission for the construction of new roads through a neighbourhood;
	(3)  what powers he plans to grant to communities to determine permission for operation of incinerators.

Greg Clark: The Localism Bill provides for decisions to be taken as closely as possible to the people they affect and will deliver a radical transfer of power to local communities and their councils. Our proposals for neighbourhood planning will enable local communities to permit developments without the need for planning applications subject to a limited number of conditions and exceptions. These are set out respectively in Schedules 4B and 9 of the Localism Bill. The effect of these is that neighbourhood planning will not be able to permit certain developments, including wind farms with a generating capacity more than 50 megawatts, nationally significant highways within the meaning of the Planning Act 2008 and incinerators.

Planning: Referendums

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his proposals for referendums on neighbourhood planning will provide for postal and proxy voting.

Greg Clark: The detail of the process for undertaking a referendum for the purposes of neighbourhood planning will be set out in regulations, following the passage of the Localism Bill. We will consider the issues of postal and proxy voting in drawing up those regulations.

Religious Buildings: Planning Permission

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers he plans to grant communities to determine permission for the construction or extension of a place of worship in a neighbourhood.

Greg Clark: The neighbourhood planning system being introduced by the Localism Bill will give communities the ability to produce neighbourhood development plans and neighbourhood development orders. Plans will set out policies for the development and use of land in a specified neighbourhood area and orders will grant planning permission for certain types or classes of development in that neighbourhood area.
	The basic conditions that draft plans and orders must meet will be that they are appropriate having regard to national policy, are in general conformity with the local authority's strategic policies in the development plan (excluding neighbourhood plans), and are compatible with EU obligations and human rights requirements.
	Where no orders exist, an application for planning permission can be made to the local planning authority to be determined in the conventional manner.

Right to Buy Scheme

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on the right of council tenants to buy their homes.

Andrew Stunell: The Government support the Right to Buy scheme, which has helped nearly two million council tenants to realise their aspiration to own their homes, and are committed to helping social tenants and other first time buyers to own or part-own their home.

Social Rented Housing: Empty Property

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of under-occupied properties of each type in the social rented sector; and how many families under-occupying properties in that sector are resident in properties on the fifth floor or above of tower blocks.

Andrew Stunell: There were an estimated 400,000 under-occupied houses and 20,000 under-occupied flats in the social rented sector in 2008, as measured by the bedroom standard. These estimates are based on data from the 2008 English Housing Survey.
	The number of families under-occupying properties on the fifth floor or above of tower blocks is not available due to the very small number of such cases in the survey samples. It is estimated that less than 1% of the total number of under-occupying social rented sector households live in such accommodation.

Supporting People Programme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the effects of reductions in the Supporting People programme budget.

Andrew Stunell: The spending review has secured £6.5 billion of funding for Supporting People over the next four years, as part of our commitment to protect services for vulnerable people. As part of the spending review an equality impact assessment on supporting people has now been published. However, all decisions and the impact of them on services to be provided with the funding available is a matter for the local authority. In making changes local authorities must ensure they comply with any legal requirements including carrying out equality impact assessments.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on their likely level of funding for  (a) the voluntary sector and  (b) implementation of the Big Society policy in 2011-12.

Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member to my speech to the SOLACE conference of 14 October 2010. I have placed a copy of the associated departmental press notice in the Library of the House. Ministers have had, and will have, a series of discussions with local councils on the Local Government Funding Settlement.

DEFENCE

Departmental Manpower

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of his Department's staff based in  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many of his Department's staff based in  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland have been redeployed from the civil service redeployment pool in the last month;
	(3)  how many of his Department's staff based in  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland who were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available had been in that pool for more than six months.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) manages its surplus staff by using the redeployment pool (RDP). This service enables those who are or who will become surplus to be given priority consideration for vacancies. Staff in the RDP usually continue working in their last directorate or are redeployed to cover short-term tasks. On average, staff spend six months in the RDP before finding a post or leaving the Department. The RDP is also used by staff returning from overseas postings, including civilians supporting the armed forces in operational theatres. The MOD is currently subject to a freeze on external recruitment and the RDP helps us to fill vacancies from within existing staff resources.
	Data on the RDP is collected on a quarterly basis, the latest available data is as at 1 October 2010 and shows that on that date the numbers of staff in the RDP were:
	
		
			  Government office region  October 2010 headcount 
			 Other UK Northern Ireland 1,090 75 
			 UK Total 1,160 
			  Source: DASA (Quad-Service) 
		
	
	As at 1 October 2010, the numbers of civil servants who had been in the RDP for more than six months were:
	
		
			  Government office region  October 2010 headcount 
			 Other UK 430 
			 Northern Ireland 40 
			 UK Total 470 
			  Source: DASA (Quad-Service) 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of staff who left the RDP in the month prior to October 2010 broken down into Northern Ireland and remaining areas of the UK and whether they exited the RDP to another post within the MOD, or left the MOD as a whole.
	
		
			  Government office region  October 2010 headcount 
			  UK 150 
			 Total remained in MOD on leaving RDP 105 
			 Exited MOD on leaving RDP 45 
			   
			  Other UK 150 
			 Remained in MOD on leaving RDP 105 
			 Exited MOD on leaving RDP 45 
			   
			  Northern Ireland (1)- 
			 Remained in MOD on leaving RDP (1)- 
			 Exited MOD on leaving RDP (1)- 
			 (1 )Less than 5.  Notes: 1. Totals exclude 10 personnel based in overseas posts or whose location is unknown. 2. Totals have been individually rounded to the nearest 5, and may not sum precisely to overall totals. 3. Data are based on redeployment pool strengths as taken from the MOD human resources management system (HRMS) on the first working day of the month.  Source: DASA (Quad: Service)

Departmental Public Expenditure

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means he plans to meet the proposed £4.3 billion target for non-frontline savings announced in the strategic defence and security review; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The strategic defence and security review identified new non-front line savings of at least £4.3 billion over the spending review period, to remedy the financial position inherited from the previous Government. The key areas are:
	reductions in the civilian work force and non-front line service personnel
	rationalisation of the Defence Estate including the sale of surplus land and buildings and associated running cost reductions and running cost savings across the estate of up to £350 million per year including a revised approach to the way in which we manage and deliver infrastructure services across the estate
	sales of assets such as the Defence Support Group and the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre and the Defence stake in the telecommunications spectrum should generate in excess of £500 million over the spending review period
	efficiencies and improvements in military training including the increased use of simulators for air-crew and Army live firing
	saving significant amounts from contract re-negotiations with Defence industry
	cutting over £300 million per year by 2014-15 of service and civilian personnel allowances
	reductions in our spend on commodities including substantial savings on food, energy and professional services
	reductions in spend on media and communications.
	Overall, this represents a 25% reduction in non-frontline organisations such as headquarters, support roles, and organisations such as Defence Equipment and Support saving at least £2 billion per year by 2014-15.
	Final options and savings figures will depend on detailed implementation, which will generally be subject to full consultation with all relevant parties, including the trade unions and the devolved Administrations, as well as the results of mandatory assessments on the impact that the measures will have on sustainability, equality and diversity and health and safety. The Ministry of Defence is therefore not prepared to release more detailed information at this time.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such transposition.

Gerald Howarth: The Ministry of Defence has one EU directive pending transposition into domestic legislation, namely the Defence and Security Directive (2009/81/EC) which sets out new procurement rules for contracting authorities/entities which purchase military equipment, sensitive equipment, and related goods, works or services. It also provides rules where contracting authorities/entities purchase works and services for specifically military purposes or works or services for security purposes which involve, require or contain classified information. The purpose of the rules is to meet the concerns of member states about the sensitive nature of procurements in the defence and security sectors. Currently, all public sector procurements (civil and defence), unless they are exempt, are governed by the rules set out in the Public Procurement Directive (2004/18/EC) or the Utilities Directive (2004/17/EC). The standard rules in the 2004 directives do not always permit the acquisition of military or security capability as effectively as they could, or deal explicitly with key requirements for acquisition such as security of information.
	The directive was agreed by the British Government when it was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on 13 July 2009.
	We estimate that the direct cost to the Department of transposing this directive has so far amounted to £325,000.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department has put in place to protect US interests during the Iraq inquiry.

Liam Fox: The protocol agreed between Government and the Iraq inquiry regarding documents and other written and electronic information provides for certain categories of sensitive information to be protected if release would cause harm or damage to the UK public interest. The protocol can be viewed on the Cabinet Office website at the following address:
	http://download.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/iraq-protocol/protocol.pdf
	A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
	There are no additional measures-and none specifically related to the United States-in place.

Military Bases

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which defence establishments had a complement of 1,000 or more service personnel on the latest date for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 25 November 2010
	Details of service personnel employed in each region of the UK are shown in the DASA publication TSP 10, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	A breakdown of service personnel employed at individual establishments is not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost.

Navy

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he consulted NATO on the proposed closure of RAF bases as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Gerald Howarth: The Ministry of Defence consulted NATO allies on a range of issues, but this did not include consultation on RAF basing options.

Trident

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in full the Trident replacement value-for-money review.

Liam Fox: holding answer 13 December 2010
	 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 December 2010,  Official Report, column 283W, to the hon. Members for Harwich and North Essex (Mr Jenkin), Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) and Wells (Tessa Munt).

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Drugs

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what dates he has attended meetings of Ministerial committees on drugs issues since his appointment.

Nicholas Clegg: I have regular meetings with the Home Secretary, Ministers, Cabinet and Cabinet Committees.

Kazakhstan

David Blunkett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he received representations on  (a) asylum in or immigration to the UK and  (b) UK residents from Kazakhstan from (i) politicians and (ii) officials on his recent visit to Kazakhstan; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Clegg: During my visit for the Astana OSCE summit on 1-2 December, no representations were made to me by Kazakhstani politicians or officials on either asylum in or immigration to the UK or UK residents from Kazakhstan.

School: Sports

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which schools sports partnerships he has visited in an official capacity since his appointment.

Nicholas Clegg: Since May 2010 I have visited four schools in England. However none of my visits have had school sports as their primary purpose.

West Lothian

Simon Kirby: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to establish a commission to consider the West Lothian question; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: We are continuing to give careful consideration to the timing, composition, scope and remit of the Commission. Its work will need to take account of our proposals to reform the House of Lords to create a wholly or mainly elected second chamber, the changes being made to the way this House does business and amendments to the devolution regimes, for example in the Scotland Bill presently before the House. We will make an announcement in the new year.

EDUCATION

Children: Communication Skills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will meet representatives of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists to discuss communication disorder in children; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: The Secretary of State has already met representatives of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists along with other organisations concerned with speech, language and communication needs. The Government's forthcoming Green Paper on special educational needs and disabilities will look at how support for children and young people, including those with speech, language and communication needs and their families, can be improved.

Children: Communication Skills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of children of each  (a) age group and  (b) sex in each local education authority area who have been diagnosed with a communication disorder; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: Information on the diagnosis of communication disorders is not available.
	A table showing the number of pupils with statements of special educational needs, or at School Action Plus whose primary need has been identified as speech, language and communication needs has been placed in the House Libraries.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biofuels

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to take steps to encourage the recycling of  (a) used cooking oil and  (b) other waste streams into biodiesel.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply.
	Used cooking oil (UCO) is already eligible to receive certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, which sets annual targets for biofuel use in the UK. In addition the supply of UCO is currently encouraged by a 20p lower rate on fuel duty.
	The European Renewable Energy Directive (RED) requires the UK to source 10% of transport energy from renewable sources by 2020.
	We are currently working to amend the RTFO to fulfil the requirements of the RED and will be consulting on measures to implement the RED shortly. The RED provides support for biofuels made from waste, including UCO, by double counting the contribution they make towards national targets.

Dairy Farming

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance her Department provides for the promotion of sustainable dairy farms; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: DEFRA is spending £3.7 billion over a seven year period through the Rural Development Programme for England. This supports farmers and foresters to deliver environmentally beneficial land management practices, to modernise, and to adapt to changing circumstances.
	DEFRA has worked closely with The High Level Group for Dairy which was launched in October 2009 following significant market difficulties in Europe. The European Commission made legislative proposals which aim to prepare the sector for a more market oriented and sustainable future on 9 December 2010 following the High Level Group's recommendations.
	I chair the Dairy Supply Chain Forum which brings together major industry figures to discuss and resolve common challenges. The Forum has led to the Milk Roadmap, the first stage of a comprehensive action plan to help the sector address its environmental impacts.

Electric Shock Collars

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the introduction of a ban on the use of electric shock training devices for dogs.

James Paice: There are no current plans to ban the use of electronic training aids for animals. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 already makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal or to treat an animal in a way that fails to meet its welfare needs. It also provides additional powers to prohibit the use of any such equipment through secondary legislation if considered necessary.
	However, we recognise the need for further research into this issue. DEFRA is currently carrying out a study into whether electronic training collars cause unnecessary suffering, and this will be completed next year.

Slaughterhouses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) departmental circulars and  (b) other documents her Department has published consequent on the provisions of legislation regulating slaughterhouses in each of the last 10 years; what assessment she has made of the adequacy of enforcement of such legislation; how many persons of each (i) age, (ii) sex and (iii) police force area have been (A) prosecuted and (B) convicted of an offence under the provisions of such legislation in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Guidance on the welfare of poultry at slaughter was issued in December 2007 and DEFRA guidance on licensing and training of slaughtermen was last updated in May 2010.
	Enforcement of welfare in slaughterhouses is the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA conducted a survey of all approved slaughterhouses in May 2010 to establish whether food business operators are taking active steps to comply with legal requirements and achieve the necessary animal welfare standards. The survey also looked at whether Official Veterinarians and frontline teams are carrying out their roles effectively, with appropriate monitoring and relevant enforcement being taken in the event of food business operator non-compliance. This survey indicated standards of animal welfare met or exceeded legislative requirements in 94% of premises surveyed.
	Details of prosecutions and convictions for offences under the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended) are as follows:
	
		
			  Case  Result  Sex  Age  Court area 
			  April 2007 to March 2008 
			 1. Convicted (1)- (1)- Reedley magistrates court 
			 2. Convicted Male 47 North East Derbyshire and the Dales magistrates court 
			 3. Convicted Male 53 Halifax magistrates court 
			 4. Convicted Male 46 Halifax magistrates court 
			 5. Convicted (1)- (1)- Bradford magistrates court 
			 (1) Company.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Pilots

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the merits of introducing equivalent security arrangements for airline pilots at airports to those in place for hon. Members on the parliamentary estate.

Theresa Villiers: Aviation security search measures apply equally to all (passengers, airport staff and aircrew including pilots) regardless of gender, race, age and occupation, with only a very limited number of exemptions, for example in respect of Heads of State. The more people we exempt from search, the greater the risk this creates.
	We would be wary of creating a two tier screening system that may increase the likelihood of people becoming targets for coercion. Even professional pilots with the highest levels of integrity and honesty can find themselves the subject of coercion or blackmail from those who might seek to force them to carry prohibited items into a critical part of an airport.
	All screening measures are kept under review. The Department for Transport has regular dialogue with industry partners, including representatives of airline pilots, to ensure that security measures are commensurate with the existing threat.
	It is not appropriate for me to comment on the threat to or security procedures in place across the parliamentary estate.

Aviation: Security

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce body scanners in the crew search channels at UK airports.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport is currently considering responses to a public consultation on the 'Code of Practice for the Acceptable Use of Security Scanners' in the UK. A decision on the future use of security scanners will be made in due course.

Aviation: Security

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on the introduction of a pilot scheme to increase the speed of the security clearance process at airports for UK airline pilots.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport specifies the standards that must be met, and the methods that may be used by industry in respect of the screening of passengers and staff, including pilots. But the efficiency and speed at which people are processed through security screening is a matter for airport operators.

Aviation: Security

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on revisions of EU security rules on the searching of religious headwear at airports; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: My officials are in close contact with the Commission about this sensitive issue and are making progress towards a solution. They wrote to the Commission on 3 December 2010 requesting agreement to an 18 month trial at all UK airports for the screening, on entry to a Security Restricted Area, of the headwear of passengers and all other persons who are not readily able to remove it for religious, cultural or practical reasons, and for whom the touching of the headgear by hand is considered unacceptable.

Consultants

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on consultants since May 2010;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential to reduce the costs of consultants to his Department.

Norman Baker: The Department introduced strict controls on consultancy and contractors in May 2010, including an approvals process for any proposed new or renewed contracts. These must be approved by the directors of HR and finance and estates. Final approval for contracts over £20,000 is required from the Secretary of State. The latest available figures for October 2010 show that the central Department has reduced year to date expenditure on consultants in 2010-11 by some £18 million or 46% when compared with the same period in the previous year.
	The Department has spent £24,710,000 on consultants since the beginning of May 2010.

Cruise Liner Port: Liverpool

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent representations his Department has received on cruise liner port facilities in Liverpool;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) representatives of the European Commission,  (b) European trade associations and  (c) UK companies on cruise liner port facilities in Liverpool.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport has not recently had any discussions with representatives of the European Commission or any European trade associations about cruise liner facilities in Liverpool.
	However, I am considering a proposal recently received from Liverpool city c council requesting that the grant condition which allows only port of call use at the Liverpool Cruise terminal should be relaxed so that the facility is able to operate turnaround cruise.
	I have also had correspondence on this topic from the right hon. Members for Blackburn (Mr Straw), Southampton Itchen (Mr Denham) and Eastleigh (Chris Huhne); from the hon. Members for Wirral West (Esther McVey) and St Helens North (Mr Watts); and from Jacqueline Foster MEP and Brian Simpson MEP. Questions have also been answered to the hon. Member for Liverpool Riverside (Mrs Ellman) on 3 November 2010,  Official Report, column 801W, as well as questions from hon. Members for Liverpool Walton (Steve Rotheram) and Wirral South on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 455-56.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ring-fence a proportion of the additional income attributable to increased tolls on the Dartford Crossing for future capital expenditure on the crossing.

Michael Penning: holding answer 29 November 2010
	Income from road user charges at the Dartford Crossing are already ring-fenced for investment in transport, including improvements to the crossing. We have no intention to further ring-fence such income.
	We have made clear that investment at Dartford is an absolute priority, and increasing the charges as proposed, allows for future investment at the crossing, including the implementation of free-flow charging technology, and to help fund proposals for a new, additional crossing.

Departmental Contracts

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department plans to take to encourage and support small and medium-sized enterprises and third sector organisations to compete for departmental contracts, in line with value-for-money policy, UK regulations and EU procurement directives.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport plans to comply fully with the range of measures being put in place across Government to make procurement easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This includes the introduction of a simpler standardised pre-qualification questionnaire and use of Contracts Finder to advertise opportunities from March 2011.

Departmental Equality

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 21W, on departmental equality, 
	(1)  on what date he plans to publish the equality impact assessments referred to;
	(2)  for what reasons the publication of the equality impact assessments will take place after the publication of his proposals.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 29 November 2010
	The spending review has set out the policies the Department intends to take forward. Equality impact assessments are being used where appropriate to inform the development of detailed measures and will be published when these detailed measures have been agreed.

Departmental Manpower

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed-term appointments his Department has made since May 2010.

Norman Baker: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 22W.

Departmental Manpower

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have been employed in his Department in each month since April 2010.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by his Department in each month since April 2010.

Norman Baker: The central Department and its agencies identified the following number of staff employed by the Department in each month between May 2010 and 30 November 2010. The totals include both permanent and non-permanent employees and the figures represent full-time equivalents (FTEs).
	
		
			  2010  Total number of staff 
			 May 18,609.5 
			 June 18,578.1 
			 July 18,456.2 
			 August 18,313.2 
			 September 18,186.5 
			 October 18,076.0 
			 November 17,975.3

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the change in the number of staff in his Department was between  (a) 1 May 2010 and  (b) the latest date for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The central Department and its agencies identified the following change in the number of staff between 1 May 2010 and 30 November 2010. This includes both permanent and non-permanent staff.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Total staff (full-time equivalents) in May 2010 18,609.5 
			 Total staff (full-time equivalents) in November 2010 17,975.3 
			 Reduction in staff (full-time equivalents) numbers 634.2

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's capital expenditure per head was in  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: Details of the Department for Transport's regional expenditure is published by HM Treasury in its Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses which is available online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pespub_country_regional_analysis.htm
	Those tables show the following levels of capital expenditure by the Department for Transport per head for London and the North West in each of the last five financial years.
	These figures use residential population as the denominator for the calculation of expenditure per head. This means that they will not reflect the level of net non-resident in-commuters using the transport network, which in the 2001 census were estimated as 1.1 million people for London, and 0.2 million for the North West.
	
		
			  £ per head 
			   London  North West 
			 2005-06 85 53 
			 2006-07 111 79 
			 2007-08 107 83 
			 2008-09 101 90 
			 2009-10 93 95 
		
	
	These figures exclude grant to local authorities, as this information is collated separately the Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Children, Schools and Families, Department for Work and Pensions and devolved Administrations.
	The expenditure per head has been calculated using the latest ONS residential population estimates for the relevant year and region. The PESA analysis on the HM Treasury website was produced using an earlier set of population estimates and so the figures presented here will be slightly different.

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for written answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time take to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
	 (b) The Department for Transport received 317 questions for written answer on a named day between May 2010 and 15 November 2010 (this includes questions tabled up to the 12 November), of which 180 (56%) were answered on time. Of the remainder, nine had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010.
	HM Treasury conducts an annual indexation exercise of the cost of written and oral parliamentary questions. The estimated costs that have applied from 20 January 2010 are:
	Written questions: £154
	Oral questions: £425
	The Treasury, in making its assessment of the cost of answering questions, does not differentiate between the types of written questions.

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for ordinary written answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time take to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
	 (b) Between May 2010 and 15 November 2010 the Department for Transport received 1,035 ordinary written PQs (this includes questions tabled up to the 12 November), of which 479 (46%) were answered within five sitting days. Of the remainder, 90 PQs remained unanswered by 18 November 2010. The Department does not routinely record whether PQs are answered within either seven or 14 days and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	HM Treasury conducts an annual indexation exercise of the cost of written and oral parliamentary questions. The estimated costs that have applied from 20 January 2010 are:
	Written questions: £154
	Oral questions: £425
	The Treasury, in making its assessment of the cost of answering questions, does not differentiate between the types of written questions.

Employment: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost of employment of staff in his Department was in 2009-10; and what estimate has been made of such costs in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Norman Baker: The 2009-10 wages and salaries figure for the Department for Transport, which was published in the departmental resource accounts, was £546,266,100.
	Following the spending review settlement for the Department for Transport, detailed work force plans and pay bill allocations, on which such estimates for costs in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 would be based, are being developed and finalised. We are therefore currently unable to provide estimates of these costs.

First Great Western: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the most recent performance data for First Great Western.

Theresa Villiers: Department of Transport officials meet First Great Western every four weeks to discuss franchise performance. The latest figures published by Network Rail show that, in the four weeks to 16 October 2010, First Great Western's punctuality was 91.7% and for the 12 months to that date was 91.6%.

M42: Road Traffic Control

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the operation of active traffic management between junctions 3a and 7 of the M42 on  (a) the number of crashes and injuries,  (b) levels of vehicle emissions,  (c) average speeds of vehicles and  (d) vehicle capacity in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: An assessment of the benefits of active traffic management (ATM) between junctions 3A and 7 of the M42 was made following twelve months of operation of hard shoulder running (HSR). This assessment showed that:
	 (a) The average number of personal injury accidents (PIAs) reduced from 5.08 per month before the implementation of ATM to 1.83 per month following the introduction of HSR. The average number of casualties reduced from 8.48 per month before the implementation of ATM to 4.00 per month following the introduction of HSR.
	 (b) The effect of ATM on emissions from all vehicles was:
	Carbon monoxide (CO) -4%
	Particulate Matter (PM) -10%
	Hydrocarbons (HC) +3%
	Carbon-dioxide (CO2) -4%
	Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) -5%
	Fuel consumption -4%
	 (c) When HSR was operated at 50mph the average traffic speed was 49mph. When HSR was subsequently operated at 60mph the average traffic speed increased by 5 mph compared with HSR at 50mph.
	 (d) The operation of HSR on the M42 ATM section increased the observed capacity of the motorway by an average of 7% compared to conditions before the implementation of ATM.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage uptake of low-emission vehicles.

Norman Baker: The spending review announced provision of over £400 million for measures promoting the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicle technologies. These measures include:
	Support for consumer incentives for electric and other ultra-low emission cars throughout the life of this Parliament. The Secretary of State for Transport has already announced details of the Plug-In Car Grant, which will reduce the upfront cost of eligible cars by 25%, capped at £5,000. Available across the UK, the scheme will be open to both private consumers and business buyers. We will continue to monitor the most effective way to deliver support for consumer incentives, with the first review of the Plug-In Car Grant taking place in 2012.
	Continued investment in electric vehicle recharging infrastructure through the 'Plugged-in Places' scheme. The Government are committed to mandating a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Data derived from the Plugged-in Places programme will inform the design of a national network.
	Further investment in research and development activities supporting this next generation of vehicle technologies.
	We regard promotion of low-emission vehicles as important to achieve our carbon-reduction targets.

Motorways: Road Traffic Control

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes in the specification for Active Traffic Management (ATM) have been proposed for future use of ATM on the motorway network; and if he will publish the report on the basis of which such changes were made.

Michael Penning: The Highways Agency is considering the design of Active Traffic Management (ATM) in view of the experience gained from operating the pilot section on the M42. This includes what reduction can be made in the provision of gantries, signing, emergency refuge areas and signalling which will reduce costs but maintains the level of safety.
	The M42 ATM pilot operation of a Managed Motorway has shown that opening the hard shoulder to peak time traffic, with speed limit controls in place, improves reliability and reduces the number of accidents. The Highways Agency has demonstrated that Managed Motorways can deliver a substantial proportion of the benefits of conventional road-widening solutions, while securing cost savings of 40%, and the agency is aiming to increase these savings still further by driving efficiencies in how it specifies and deliver projects, encouraging the introduction of standardised solutions.
	The evidence base drawn together so far through the experience gained from operating the M42 pilot and sections on the Birmingham Box, has enabled more cost-effective designs to be introduced for future schemes. The agency has shown that it can operate hard shoulder running at 60 mph, and extend the distances between gantries and emergency refuge areas, without adversely affecting the operation of the road or the safety of the road user.

Network Rail: Pensions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what pension provision has been made for the former  (a) chief executive,  (b) chairman and  (c) board members of Network Rail; what expenditure his Department incurred in respect of such pensions in 2009-10; what his Department's role was in establishing such pension provision; what pension provision has been made for the (i) interim chief executive and (ii) new chairman of Network Rail; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The Secretary of State for Transport has not been involved in making or establishing any provision, nor has he incurred any expenditure, in respect of pensions for former or future chief executives, the chairman and board members of Network Rail. The operation of Network Rail's pay and pension arrangements is a matter for the company and its members, overseen by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Railways: Concessions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many former employees of  (a) British Rail,  (b) the Strategic Rail Authority and  (c) Railtrack receive (i) free and (ii) concessionary rail travel.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 December 2010
	Around 500,000 former employees of British Rail, the Strategic Rail Authority and Railtrack receive concessionary rail travel. Concessionary travel includes free and discounted concessionary rail travel.

Railways: Concessions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) current and  (b) former employees of (i) British Rail, (ii) the Strategic Rail Authority and (iii) Railtrack receive (A) free rail travel and (B) travel concessions for members of their family who did not work for these organisations.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 December 2010
	 Family members of some 500,000 current and former employees of British Rail, the Strategic Rail Authority and Railtrack have entitlement to free and concessionary travel. This facility is (and was) not dependant on where those family members worked. Concessionary travel includes free and discounted concessionary rail travel.

Railways: Concessions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from which budgets the costs associated with the provision of free and concessionary travel for current and former employees of  (a) British Rail,  (b) the Strategic Rail Authority and  (c) Railtrack are met; and what such costs were in 2009-10.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 6 December 2010
	There is no central budget for the provision of free and concessionary travel. The costs are met by employers. As the expenditure is incurred by commercial companies, it would not be appropriate to disclose what they might spend.
	The Department for Transport incurred costs of approximately £36,000 during 2009-10 in relation to concessionary travel costs for current employees who were former employees of British Rail. The Department also has a historic obligation to pay the travel costs of former pre-privatisation BR employees. The cost for this in 2009-2010 was approximately £2.77 million.

Railways: Construction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had on the proposed High Speed 2 rail link; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 30 November 2010
	The full listing of my meetings with external organisations is available at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/press/ministers/transparency/
	In addition, I meet regularly with HS2 Ltd and officials to discuss high speed rail.

Railways: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 25 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 466-8, on rail investment, what improvement work he plans to be undertaken in respect of  (a) the Midland Main Line,  (b) Yorkshire,  (c) Trans-Pennine routes,  (d) Manchester and  (e) South Wales.

Theresa Villiers: The improvement work for the Midland Main Line, Yorkshire, Trans-Pennine routes, Manchester and South Wales is set out in the Network Rail enhancement plan for control period 4, which covers 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2014. Funding for all these programmes of enhancements to deliver additional capacity, reliability and faster journeys has been confirmed. The details of scope and timing may change as the plans for improved train services are developed by train operators.

Railways: Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on rail franchise agreements permitting payments to be made to train operating companies in the event of a dispute with a trade union; and what the criteria are for determining such payments.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 7 December 2010
	At the discretion of the Secretary of State for Transport, the Department can reimburse train operating companies for net losses incurred as a result of industrial action, provided the train operating company involved can demonstrate that it has taken all reasonable steps to avoid industrial action and mitigate its effects.

Railways: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the level of train punctuality in the latest period for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: Transport Ministers meet senior rail industry officials on a regular basis to discuss train performance. Period 7 (19 September to 16 October 2010) is the latest period for which confirmed figures are available when the Public Performance Measure (PPM) for England and Wales was 92.7% and the Public Performance Measure Moving Annual Average (PPM MAA) was 91.6%. The PPM MAA is 0.2 PPM points better than at period 7 the previous year.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's consultation on the renewable transport fuel obligation will seek to assess the merits of including hydrogen under that scheme.

Norman Baker: The Renewable Energy Directive requires all European member states to source 10% of the energy used in transport from renewable sources by 2020. While the directive does allow for the use of renewable hydrogen to meet this target, there is not currently a methodology in place for calculating the contribution of hydrogen from renewable sources. However, the directive does require the European Commission to come forward with a proposal for such a method by 31 December 2011.
	The renewable transport fuel obligation requires fossil fuel suppliers to supply a certain percentage of the total volume of fuel they supply as biofuel. We are currently working to amend the RTFO to fulfil the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive and will consult on proposals shortly.

Roads: Snow and Ice

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last updated the guidance provided by his Department to local authorities on winter resilience.

Norman Baker: holding answer 3 December 2010
	In response to David Quarmby's final report on Winter Resilience, published in October 2010, the Department for Transport worked with the UK Roads Liaison Group to develop guidance to help local highway authorities to improve their winter service. The guidance, published on 3 November 2010, focuses on the planning, preparation and effective use of salt stocks and other resources, and is available to download at:
	http://www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/pdfs/Winter%20Service %20for%20Local%20Authority%20Practitioners%20v7.pdf
	The Secretaries of State for Transport and Communities and Local Government jointly wrote to the leaders of all English local authorities on 12 November drawing their attention to this guidance and the other recommendations from David Quarmby's independent review.

Roads: Snow and Ice

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  which local highway authorities have fewer than 48 runs of salt capacity;
	(2)  whether he plans to convene the Salt Cell in response to the weather in November and December 2010;
	(3)  if he will assess the ability of  (a) local highway authorities and  (b) the Highways Authority to keep key roads open in the event of a prolonged period of severe winter weather.

Norman Baker: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The independent review on winter resilience led by David Quarmby CBE published its report in October 2010. The report made a number of recommendations both for the Government, local highway authorities and others.
	One of the recommendations was for a benchmark of 12 days (48 runs) pre-season salt stockholding to be adopted for local highway authorities. It was recognised by the Review that some authorities would not be able to implement this recommendation in the short term, but in these cases they should carefully review their salt usage history and consider further action if necessary, such as increasing capacity or mutual aid arrangements with neighbouring authorities.
	To bolster national resilience, for the first time the Highways Agency is putting in place a 250,000 tonne national strategic reserve of last resort, available to support local authority operators as necessary, along with a further 60,000 tonnes as its own reserve. So overall, we are better prepared than last year should the recent bad weather re-occur.
	However, we are not complacent. The Department has arrangements in place for regular monitoring of salt stocks, so that we can identify risks early on and take any further action, including initiating Salt Cell should the need arise.
	Given that much of the country has been hit unusually early this winter by severe weather, the Secretary of State has asked David Quarmby to take the opportunity to conduct an urgent audit of highway authorities' and transport operators' recent performance in England, their progress in implementing his recommendations and any further steps that need to be taken.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Government Equalities Office: Finance

Pat Glass: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the change in the budget of the Government Equalities Office will be in  (a) nominal and  (b) real terms between 2010-11 and each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what proportion of the Office's budget will be allocated to the Equality and Human Rights Commission in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Lynne Featherstone: The recent spending review settlement, covering the next four years, allocated a nominal budget to the Government Equalities Office as follows:
	
		
			  £ million nominal 
			   Baseline 2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 RDEL(1) 69.5 66.0 62.6 55.5 47.3 
			 o/w non ring-fenced RDEL 69.0 65.4 62.0 54.8 46.5 
			 o/w depreciation ring-fenced in RDEL 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 
			 Administration Budget 44.2 45.9 41.9 34.1 25.2 
			 o/w non ring-fenced RDEL administration budget 44.2 45.9 41.9 34.1 25.2 
			 Capital 7.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 
			 (1) RDEL: resource departmental expenditure limit  Note: Please note that numbers may not sum exactly due to rounding. 
		
	
	The allocation in real terms has not yet been published.
	The budget allocation for the Equality and Human Rights Commission is currently in negotiation.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Annuities

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he is considering the open market option as part of his Department's review of removing the requirement to annuitise by the age of 75 years.

Mark Hoban: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government believe that it is important that people understand that they have the right to shop around and that those who stand to benefit exercise this option. The recent HM Treasury consultation 'Removing the requirement to annuities by age 75' included a question on how to improve advice to individuals regarding their choices on pension savings.
	HM Treasury recently published its response to the age 75 consultation alongside draft Finance Bill legislation on 9 December. It is concerned with the tax and regulatory reforms associated with the new decumulation regimes and does not include changes to the Open Market Option (OMO). However, the Government continues to take an active interest the OMO and relevant representations are being examined.

Cold Weather Payments: North West

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in each weather station area in the North West qualified for cold weather payments in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Estimated number of benefit units that received at least one cold weather payment for weather stations linked to postcode districts in the north-west 
			  Weather station  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Bingley 128,600 0 0 162,300 117,800 
			 Carlisle 0 0 0 15,000 10,000 
			 Crosby 0 0 0 273,700 278,900 
			 Eskdalemuir 7,200 7,600 6,400 6,500 6,500 
			 Leek n/a n/a n/a n/a 9,200 
			 Redesdale n/a n/a 6,200 6,300 6,400 
			 Shap n/a n/a 4,900 4,900 5,000 
			 Shawbury 61,400 64,600 0 65,200 66,300 
			 St Bees Head n/a n/a n/a n/a 9,400 
			 Stonyhurst n/a n/a n/a n/a 23,600 
			 Walney Island 0 0 0 0 18,000 
			 Woodford 0 0 0 210,300 212,000 
			 n/a = not applicable: the weather station was not used in the cold weather payment scheme in that year.  Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, figures given are estimates. Actuals are not available. 2. A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode. (When the temperature criterion is met, the weather station is said to trigger.) 3. Some weather stations listed are linked both to an area within the north-west and also to an area outside the north-west. Estimated numbers given are for the weather station as a whole, not for the part of the north-west linked to the weather station. 4. Some postcode to weather station linkages have changed from one year to the next, so estimated numbers are not always comparable from year to year. 5. Estimated numbers are for cold weather payments triggered in the relevant financial year. 6. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children. 7. Some benefit units received more than one payment in some years. 8. Estimated numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.  Sources: Postcode districts in the North West Government Office Region: analysis of National Statistics Postcode Directory. Postcode district to weather station links: Department for Work and Pensions records. Estimated numbers: scans of benefit computer systems taken at the end of October each year giving the number of potential qualifiers for cold weather payments by weather station; Department for Work and Pensions records of triggers; Department for Work and Pensions records of the total number of payments actually made by benefit computer system and clerically.

Council Tax

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has undertaken an equality impact assessment of the proposed changes to council tax benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We will publish an equality impact assessment for the proposed changes to council tax benefit announced in the spending review, in the normal way, accompanying the relevant legislation when introduced in Parliament.

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for written answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a Question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
	334 named day questions were tabled to the Department between May 2010 and 12 November 2010, of which 321 (96.1%) were answered substantively on or before the day named for answer. All had received substantive answers by 18 November 2010.
	No estimate has been made of the average cost to the Department for Work and Pensions of answering named day questions on the day named for answer. The Treasury conducts an annual indexation exercise of the cost of written and oral parliamentary questions so as to ensure that these average costs are increased in line with increases in underlying costs. The estimated costs that have applied from 20 January 2010 are:
	Written question: £154
	Oral question: £425.
	The Treasury, in making its assessment of the cost of answering questions, does not differentiate between the types of written questions.

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for ordinary written answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
	1,465 ordinary written questions were tabled to the Department between May 2010 and 12 November 2010, of which 641 (43.7%) were answered within five working days and 1,215 (82.9%) were answered within 10 working days. 98 Questions (6.7%) remained unanswered by 18 November 2010.
	No estimate has been made of the average cost to the Department for Work and Pensions of answering named day questions on the day named for answer. The Treasury conducts an annual indexation exercise of the cost of written and oral parliamentary questions so as to ensure that these average costs are increased in line with increases in underlying costs. The estimated costs that have applied from 20 January 2010 are:
	Written question: £154
	Oral question: £425.
	The Treasury, in making its assessment of the cost of answering questions, does not differentiate between the types of written questions.

Disability Living Allowance

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what equality impact assessment he has undertaken of the potential effects on disabled people living in residential care of the removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: Consideration was given to the equality impacts of the measure when the proposal was being developed.
	The equality impact assessment for removing the mobility component of disability living allowance from state funded care home residents after 28 days will be published with the proposed legislation.

Disability Living Allowance

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has plans to review the limit on hours worked placed on recipients of disability living allowance and associated in-work tax credits.

Maria Miller: Disability living allowance is available to severely disabled people regardless of whether or not they are in work. We have launched a consultation on the reform of disability living allowance with a new benefit-personal independence payment to be introduced from 2013. Like disability living allowance this benefit will be available to severely disabled people regardless of their work status. A copy of the consultation document, "Disability Living Allowance reform" (Cm 7984), has been placed in the Library.
	We have no plans to review the current limits on the number of hours people must be working in order to become entitled to the disability element of working tax credit. However, our White Paper, "Universal Credit: a new approach to welfare" (Cm 7957), published on 11 November announced a new universal credit. One of the key features of universal credit is that it will be paid in and out of work and that the hours rules will disappear to smooth the transition into work and ensure work pays. The aim is to introduce universal credit from 2013.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what equality impact assessment he has undertaken of the potential effects on disabled people living in residential care of the removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: Consideration was given to the equality impacts of the measure when the proposal was being developed.
	The equality impact assessment for removing the mobility component of disability living allowance from state funded care home residents after 28 days will be published with the proposed legislation.

Disability Living Allowance: Scotland

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of disability living allowance and aged between 25 and 35 years are resident in Edinburgh East constituency; and how many of these are also in receipt of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) local housing allowance.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people between the ages of 25 and 35 years in receipt of disability living allowance there are resident in North Ayrshire and Arran constituency; and how many of these are also in receipt of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) local housing allowance.

Maria Miller: In May 2010 our records show that:
	in Edinburgh East parliamentary constituency there were 490 recipients of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 years old;
	in North Ayrshire and Arran parliamentary constituency there were 480 recipients of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 years old.
	No information is available on housing benefit at the constituency level. At present geographic breakdowns are only available for local authorities and regions. However, an exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the data: this will include parliamentary constituencies.
	 Notes
	1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10 recipients;
	2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital;
	3. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.
	 Source
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Disability Living Allowance: South Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of disability living allowance and aged between 25 and 35 are resident in  (a) South Lanarkshire and  (b) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency; and how many of these are also in receipt of (i) housing benefit and (ii) local housing allowance.

Maria Miller: The numbers of people in receipt of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 in  (a) South Lanarkshire and  (b) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  DLA  c laimants aged 25-35(inclusive) in South Lanarkshire unitary authority and Rutherglen and Hamilton West parliamentary constituency-May 2010 
			   Aged 25-35 (inclusive) 
			 South Lanarkshire unitary authority 1,520 
			 Rutherglen and Hamilton West parliamentary constituency 630 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; 2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 4. On 1 April 2009, the reorganisation of the local authorities of England created nine new unitary authorities (UA's) including South Lanarkshire. 5. Information is available on the number of housing benefit claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, such as income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-based employment support allowance and pension credit (guaranteed credit). Disability living allowance is not a housing benefit passported benefit, therefore the number of DLA claimants also receiving housing benefit is not available. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 
		
	
	The numbers of people in receipt of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 in  (a) South Lanarkshire and  (b) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency who are also in receipt of housing benefit and local housing allowance is not available.

Disabled People: Employment

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department provides to young people with a disability who wish to move from education into work.

Maria Miller: The Department is committed to increasing the employment opportunities available to disabled people including young people and others who experience complex barriers to employment and in the process reducing the levels of unemployment and under-employment which they experience.
	As of 25 October 2010 we launched Work Choice, a new pan-disability supported employment programme for disabled people, which provides tailored support and targets those customers who face the most complex barriers in reaching or retaining employment, including self-employment. Under a new funding model in which prime providers work closely with their subcontractors, individuals get consistent, quality support that helps them progress at work and, where it is appropriate for the individual, helps them move into unsupported employment.

Disabled People: Employment

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability employment programmes are supported by his Department.

Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for two major employment programmes delivered nationally across Great Britain, which are specifically aimed at helping disabled people find and stay in work.
	They are:
	Work Choice-launched on 25 October, which provides tailored support to help disabled people who face the most complex barriers to employment find and stay in work and ultimately help them progress into unsupported employment, where it is appropriate for the individual.
	Access to Work-which provides practical advice and financial support to employed disabled people above and beyond what the employer could reasonably provide, to help them overcome obstacles resulting from disability and thus stay in work.
	In addition, Remploy is an Executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. It delivers a range of employment and development opportunities for disabled people, including under the Work Choice programme.
	The Department for Work and Pensions also funds residential training for unemployed disabled adults whose needs cannot be met through any other government funded programmes.
	From next year, the Work Programme will provide more personalised back-to-work support for unemployed people, including disabled people. We are working to ensure through Work Choice and the Work Programme, the widest possible range of help to return to work is available to disabled people and those who support and advise them.
	On 2 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 89-90WS, I announced in a written ministerial statement an independent review of the support the Government provides to disabled people who want to work. This review will be conducted by Liz Sayce, chief executive of the disability organisation RADAR.

Housing Benefit

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much  (a) homelessness prevention and  (b) discretionary housing payments funding will be allocated to each local authority in each of the next three years.

Steve Webb: We are providing an additional £130 million to local authority discretionary housing payment budgets over the spending review period and we are discussing its allocation with the local authority associations. We are allocating a further £50 million over the spending review period to support the implementation of the 2011 housing benefit measures. We are still considering exactly how the money will be allocated.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has protected homelessness grant funding, with £400 million over the spending review period. Allocations to local authorities will be announced shortly, alongside the provisional local government finance settlement.

Housing Benefit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects of his Department's proposed changes in the payment of housing benefit on levels of rent arrears in  (a) Glasgow North East constituency,  (b) Glasgow,  (c) Scotland,  (d) England,  (e) Wales,  (f) Northern Ireland and  (g) the UK from 2012 onwards;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects of his Department's proposed  (a) restriction of payments of local housing allowance to the 30th percentile,  (b) removal of housing benefit from recipients of jobseeker's allowance of 12 months' duration and  (c) cap on the amount of housing benefit paid annually on levels of rent arrears;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects on support services for the disabled of his Department's proposed changes to housing benefit;
	(4)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects on educational attainment by pupils in schools of his Department's proposed changes to housing benefit;
	(5)  what assessment his Department has made of the change in the levels of household overcrowding of his Department's proposed changes to housing benefit.

Steve Webb: We published an impact assessment on 30 November 2010 when we laid regulations which will give effect to the 2011 changes to local housing allowance rates. The assessment is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-impact-nov10.pdf
	Impact assessments for the other measures announced in the June Budget and the comprehensive spending review will be published in the normal way alongside the relevant legislation.

Housing Benefit: Disability

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider bringing forward proposals to enable family members of disabled persons in receipt of housing benefit to claim the benefit on their behalf, in addition to spouses or partners.

Steve Webb: The housing benefit regulations already permit persons other than a spouse or partner to claim benefit on behalf of a customer if he is unable to act for himself. In these circumstances, family members or other persons can apply to the local authority to claim benefit on the customer's behalf. A local authority will then decide whether it is appropriate to appoint the applicant to act for the customer, having considered all the relevant circumstances of the case.

Housing Benefit: Glasgow

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) local housing allowance in Glasgow North constituency share their tenancy with a non-dependent in respect of whom a deduction is made from their entitlement.

Steve Webb: Information is not available on housing benefit recipients who share their tenancy with a non-dependant for which a deduction is made from their entitlement.
	The Department does collect information on non dependant deductions from the housing benefit/council tax benefit data source (SHBE) but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ would incur disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receive pension credit.

Steve Webb: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  As at May 2010  Number 
			 Households in receipt of pension credit 2,734,170 
			 Individual beneficiaries 3,349,760 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. 3. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming.  Source: DWP Information Direction Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Private Rented Housing

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of vacant private rented homes with  (a) one bedroom and  (b) two bedrooms in North Ayrshire and Arran constituency where the rental is in the bottom 30% of local market values;

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of vacant private rented homes with  (a) one bedroom and  (b) two bedrooms in Glasgow North constituency where the rental is in the bottom 30% of local market values.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.

Rented Housing

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of tenants in each type of tenure under-occupying properties in North Ayrshire and Arran constituency; and how many such tenants are in receipt of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) local housing allowance;

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of multi-occupancy lets by tenure in Glasgow North constituency;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of tenants in each type of social housing tenure who are under-occupying properties in Glasgow North constituency; and how many such tenants are in receipt of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) local housing allowance.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.

Rented Housing

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of vacant  (a) housing association and  (b) local authority tenanted homes in North Ayrshire and Arran constituency with (i) one bedroom and (ii) two bedrooms;

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of vacant  (a) housing association and  (b) local authority tenanted homes in Glasgow North constituency with (i) one bedroom and (ii) two bedrooms.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.

Social Fund

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money was paid out through the Social Fund in the form of  (a) community care grants,  (b) budgeting loans,  (c) crisis loans,  (d) Sure Start maternity grants,  (e) funeral payments,  (f) cold weather payments,  (g) winter fuel payments and  (h) grants or loans in each other Social Fund category in each of the last five years; and how many people received grants or loans of each such category in each year.

Steve Webb: The available information is in the following table.
	Expenditure information is due to be re-stated and published on 21 December 2010 on the DWP website (the link to the website is):
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure
	As such we cannot publish information on expenditure in response to this question.
	
		
			  Estimate of the number of people who received grants or loans over the last five years in Great Britain 
			   Community care grants  Budgeting loans  Crisis loans  Cold weather payments  Winter fuel payments 
			 2005-06 273,000 926,000 576,000 611,000 11,555,000 
			 2006-07 271,000 1,008,000 579,000 334,000 11,750,000 
			 2007-08 253,000 920,000 693,000 459,000 12,123,000 
			 2008-09 264,000 871,000 884,000 3,979,000 12,421,000 
			 2009-10 274,000 946,000 1,117,000 4,245,000 12,681,000 
			  Notes: 1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data. 2. For technical reasons figures are estimated volumes rather than actual volumes, except for winter fuel payments which are actual volumes. 3. For winter fuel payments, the number of recipients is the number of individuals to whom payment was made. Where an eligible person is receiving pension credit, income-based jobseeker's allowance or income related employment and support allowance on behalf of a couple, that person receives one winter fuel payment on behalf of the couple. 4. Figures for winter fuel payments include payments made to recipients within Great Britain and also recipients from within the European economic area who qualified for payments while resident in Great Britain. 5. Figures for winter fuel payments for 2005-06 have been revised and therefore do not match exactly those currently in the House of Commons Library. Information in the Library will be updated as soon as possible. 6. The numbers of people in receipt of a grant or loan have been rounded to the nearest thousand. 7. The numbers of recipients for sure start maternity grants and funeral payments are unavailable.  Source: Analysis of scans of the Social Fund Computer System taken at the end of September after the relevant financial year, DWP records for cold weather payments and published DWP caseload tables for winter fuel payments

Social Security Benefits: Addiction

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many benefit recipients are recorded as having a drug addiction; and what proportion of these have a dual diagnosis;
	(2)  how many benefit recipients are recorded as being alcoholic;
	(3)  how many heroin addicts were in receipt of benefits in each of the last three years.

Maria Miller: The information available is presented in the following tables. Data on the number of benefit claimants with a drug addiction recorded as having a have dual diagnosis (i.e. the standard accepted definition of both a drug addiction and a serious mental health problem) are not routinely collected.
	As outlined in the Government's recently published drug strategy, substance dependency is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty, and helping people who are trapped on benefits through drug and alcohol addiction to recover and find employment is a top priority for this Government.
	
		
			  Table 1: Incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance claimants in Great Britain with drug or alcohol abuse recorded as the main disabling condition-May 2010 
			   Number  of claimants 
			 Total number with drug abuse 48,170 
			 Total number with alcohol abuse 56,580 
			  Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10 claimants. 2. These figures refer to claimants whose problems relate to any drugs (including prescription ones). Claimants who do not report drug or alcohol dependency as their main disabling condition are not captured, nor are people on JSA or IS for whom this information is not recorded, meaning that these figures represent a subset of all claimants with a drug or alcohol problem. 3. Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance was replaced by employment and support allowance (ESA) for new claimants in October 2008. 4. Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to disability benefits, this is determined by a person's capability or capacity for employment. Where individuals with a substance dependency are in receipt of such benefits it will be because they have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which limit their capability for work.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimated number of working-age claimants who  are problem drug users (heroin or crack cocaine) by benefit type in England in 2006 
			   Number of claimants 
			 Total in receipt of one or more working-age benefits 267,000 
			  Notes: 1. The figures are derived from estimates of the number of problem drug users on each of jobseekers allowance, incapacity benefit, income support and disability living allowance. They do not record if problem drug use is the reason for the benefit claim.  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 
			 3. The copy of the working paper by Hay and Bauld can be found in the House of Commons Library, and can also be accessed at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/WP46.pdf  Source: Population estimates of problematic drug users in England who access Department for Work and Pensions benefits: A feasibility study, Working Paper No. 46, Hay, G. and Bauld, L. 2008

Social Security Benefits: Livingston

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of applications for employment and support allowance made by residents in Livingston constituency in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2010 were rejected on the basis of the work capability assessment; and in respect of what proportion of such applications that decision was (i) reversed and (ii) upheld on appeal.

Maria Miller: Data are available at local authority level so figures for West Lothian have been provided. It should be noted that, because the number of appeals heard for claims which began after August 2009 are too low for inclusion at the time of response, we can only provide figures for claims started between October 2008 and August 2009.
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance claims to August 2009 assessed, found  fit for work  and appealed-West Lothian 
			  Month ESA claim started  Completed assessments  Fit  for work  Percentage  fit for work  Appeals heard (to date)  Percentage  fit for work with  an appeal heard (to date)  Decision in favour of appellant  DWP decision upheld  Percentage decision in favour of appellant  Percentage DWP decision upheld 
			 October 2008 20 10 73 0 73 0 0 75 25 
			 November 2008 110 90 79 40 79 10 30 31 69 
			 December 2008 90 70 80 30 80 10 20 38 63 
			 January 2009 100 90 83 40 83 20 20 47 53 
			 February 2009 110 90 83 40 83 30 20 61 39 
			 March 2009 130 110 85 60 85 30 30 50 50 
			 April 2009 110 80 71 40 71 20 20 55 45 
			 May 2009 110 90 82 40 82 20 20 54 46 
			 June 2009 110 70 68 30 68 10 20 45 55 
			 July 2009 130 90 70 30 70 10 20 34 66 
			 August 2009 100 70 72 20 72 10 10 41 59 
			 Total 1,110 860 77 380 77 180 200 47 53 
		
	
	The table presents data on employment and support allowance claims up to the end of August 2009 where the person claiming has completed assessment, been found Fit for Work, subsequently appeal the Department's decision and had the appeal heard by the Tribunals Service by the end of July 2010. July 2010 is the latest data we have from the Tribunals Service.
	Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted and heard by the Tribunals Service, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard, particularly for the most recent cohorts of ESA claims. The percentage of people found Fit for Work who appeal (column 6) therefore appears to decrease as the date of claim becomes more recent, but this may not in fact reflect a decline in appeals against a Fit for Work decision as a number of appeals may have been submitted but not yet heard. These figures should therefore be treated as emerging findings and not as final at this stage.
	The table is consistent with table 5 of the latest work capability assessment publication with the inclusion of completed assessments and the percentage found Fit For Work. The publication can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc

Social Security Benefits: Mental Health

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit recipients have received treatment for mental health problems in the last 12 months.

Maria Miller: We do not collect information on whether benefit recipients are receiving treatment for mental health conditions. Information about the numbers of people claiming benefits due to health reasons is available on the Department of Work and Pensions website's tabulation tool.

State Retirement Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of income of  (a) men and  (b) women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 April 1960 of the acceleration in the timescale for increasing the state pension age.

Steve Webb: Revised life expectancy projections mean that by 2026 men aged 66 are expected to live an extra 1.5 years and women an extra 1.6 years, on average, than the 2004 projections used to set the current state pension age increases. No responsible Government can ignore these increases in life expectancy and the pressure they place on the state pension system. Our new timetable will reduce pressures on public finances by around £30 billion between 2016-17 and 2025-26.
	The effect on the level of income is complex and will vary significantly between individuals. We estimate that those people affected by the changes to state pension age will lose state pensions of, on average,  (a) men approximately £7,600 and  (b) women nearly £7,250 (in 2010-11 prices).
	About 40% of those affected are expected to remain in employment when they reach age 65; earning and saving longer for retirement.
	However the Government will support those who will not be able to continue working by providing working age benefits.

State Retirement Pensions

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made on the introduction of a flat-rate basic state pension.

Steve Webb: The Government are currently examining all aspects of the state pension system to identify options that could lead to a more simple and straightforward system but final decisions have not yet been made.

State Retirement Pensions

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account he has taken of the rights of individuals to defer receipt of a state pension beyond the state retirement age in formulating his proposals for a flat-rate state pension.

Steve Webb: The Government are currently examining all aspects of the state pension system to identify options that could lead to a more simple and straightforward system but final decisions have not yet been made.

Tenants: Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of tenants in each type of tenancy tenure who are under-occupying their property in  (a) South Lanarkshire and  (b) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency; and how many of these are in receipt of (i) housing benefit and (ii) local housing allowance.

Steve Webb: The information is not available at a parliamentary constituency level. Data on the actual size of property occupied by social sector tenants is not yet collected as part of DWP administration and the data collected for private sector tenants is not of sufficient quality to undertake detailed analysis of the accommodation they occupy. This is because this information is not required for the housing benefit calculation. Existing survey data does not permit large enough sample sizes for detailed analysis.

Universal Credit

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role local authorities will play in administering the proposed universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The administration of universal credit will be organised by the Department for Work and Pensions. We are working closely with local authorities on the implications for them of the introduction of universal credit.